A Matter of Importance
by DaisyDay
Summary: A.K.A. "Amanda of Importance"...Can a simple 'shove' EVER be considered attempted murder? And how is this connected to later murders? That is what Amanda wants to figure out when she helps an old friend, as Lee scratches his head, wondering how he managed to be pulled into this mess! Set mid-season 2.
1. Chapter 1

(Most characters part of the SMK universe)

AMANDA OF IMPORTANCE

Chapter 1

_Lee's latest assignment was like finding a needle in a haystack._

_Or more like finding one unknown spy in a park full of random people._

_A blueprint of a newly developed secret weapon had been recently stolen from a government facility. The exchange of the blueprint for cash would supposedly take place at noon, somewhere on the grounds of Bartholdi Park. Lee needed to capture the culprit before the hand -off could take place._

_The only problem is, no one knew what that wrongdoer looked like._

_The assignment seemed almost like an impossibility with all the people here, but most of his missions seemed that way. Since it would seem odd for a lone man to be sitting by himself on a park bench, he had asked Amanda to accompany him. He made it sound very uncomplicated when he explained the mission; she would be merely used as a prop. _

_Of course, Amanda being Amanda, she readily agreed to help him. In fact, she looked forward to it. But, then, that was Amanda's approach to life itself. So that was how the two of them found themselves sitting __on one of the benches in the middle of that park, pretending to be nonchalantly people-watching while enjoying a day at the park. _

_It was a beautiful, sunny day, and for Amanda, the tranquil Washingtonian park would act as a refuge from her hectic errand-running life._

_An elegant fountain stood as a centerpiece of the area, and everywhere in this beautifully landscaped garden, couples, friends and family strolled back and forth, admiring the winding paths, bridges and flowery greenery. The peaceful park, complete with little niche areas to relax, seemed to be the least likely place for enemy dealings to take place._

_Although seemingly casual as he sat on the bench, Lee in spy mode. He was not in the mood for any type of casual conversation. _

_"See anyone suspicious looking?" Lee covertly asked as he skillfully scanned the crowd, "our most obvious clue would be someone carrying any type of container that could be used to hide government documents."_

_Amanda looked out at the crowd, overwhelmed by the various purses, backpacks, picnic baskets, and briefcases people held in their possessions._

_"It could be almost anyone hiding that blueprint," she remarked, noting a young couple pushing a stroller, a pregnant woman walking while rubbing her huge tummy, a man pushing himself in a wheelchair with possibly a fake breathing apparatus, and a nun wearing a roomy habit. Each had something capable of concealing secret plans._

_"Just keep watch carefully and observe anyone or anything that looks out of place," Lee advised Amanda, taking his time as he watched what was happening left of him, and then right._

_As they continued watching, Amanda saw something which caused her heart to lurch at what she just witnessed. _

___" Oh...My...Gosh," she murmured under her breath, sounding distressed._

_Lee become alert to her reaction. He forced his body to look relax as he leaned slightly closer to her, and whispered his next words._

_"What is it, Amanda? You see something unusual?"_

_Her voice was quiet, but certain._

_"Don't be obvious, but look to your right...at the pregnant woman," she whispered back, "She's 'it'..."_

_Lee needed to make sure they were on the same wavelength. He could not afford any misinterpretations._

_ "You said the pregnant woman is __'it'__? As in the game of tag?"_

_"Nooo, Lee..."Amanda kept her voice low, but insistent, "she's _'it'._. as in the enemy operative!"_

_He took a quick glance at the woman who was contently rubbing her tummy as she viewed the fountain. Nothing looked amiss. _

_Lee turned back to Amanda and asked very deliberately, "Amanda...are... you ...sure? We only get ONE shot at this;. we have to be SURE."_

_Amanda discreetly gave one nod with certainty, "Yes, Lee, I'm SURE..."_

_Lee knew Amanda's sixth sense was uncanny; she could reasoned with the best of them, so who was he to second- guess her now? Pushing off quickly from the bench, he strode over towards the fountain, where the pregnant lady was standing._

_The pregnant woman suddenly stopped rubbing her tummy. From her peripheral view, it was obvious she sensed something wrong and turned her head to see Lee approaching her. She nervously looked about, like a trapped animal. He was still a distance away as she started to back away from him. Lee needed to make sure she would not escape._

_"Wait! Lady! Stop!" Lee yelled out, needing her to remain in her spot, "I just want to talk to you!"_

_Instead, the woman turned and bolted, heading directly for the grassy area._

_Ohhh, I hate when they do that! Lee thought to himself as broke off into a run after her._

_As he continued to run, he realized Amanda was right. The woman certainly didn't run like a pregnant woman. The movement of her legs were fluid, not clumsy at all._

_Lee continued the chase as the woman now shot towards the grass. With her extra weight in front, she was no match for Lee's speed and he quickly was closing the gap. They had only run a few hundred feet when he deemed it close enough and he made a flying leap, tackling her. It was no contest as the woman fell to the ground, right on her stomach, which luckily provided padding for her fall. _

_The situation attracted attention, and soon a small crowd gathered, with people in the park appalled that a tall man had tackled a pregnant woman._

_As Lee and the woman struggled, Amanda ran up to them. By this time, the crowd was no longer upset with what they had originally perceived as a pregnant woman being attacked. Evidently Lee and the woman must have hit the grass area hard, for her tummy pack had burst opened, revealing not a pregnant stomach, but instead, the hint of a flattened rolled paper sticking out from the padded device. _

_As Lee helped the reluctant woman up, a policeman arrived. Lee flashed his identity, grabbed the stolen plans and explained the reason for the commotion. The policeman handcuffed the suspect and led her away, with promises to contact The Agency._

After the Officer escorted the woman away, Lee satisfactorily turned to Amanda, "You were right about that one, Amanda."

She did the familiar jerk with her head, "_Wellll._..I'm just glad it all worked out. I would have been mortified had you tackled a _real_ pregnant woman, especially that one. Her pregnancy would have turned YOU into a Pregosaurus."

"A pregosaurus?" Lee questioned.

Amanda nodded, "If she had _really_ been pregnant when you had wrestled her down in front of all those people, you'd be extinct by now."

Her eyes sparkled with merriment and when she laughed, he happily joined in.

It felt really good to not be so serious all the time.

_._

They were now in Billy's office.

"Congratulations on a job well done!" Billy looked pleased, "And especially to you, Amanda, for cleverly spotting an enemy spy out of all the hordes of people at a park!"

"Well, Sir, as always...it was a team effort." She modestly gestured towards Lee.

"By the way, Amanda," Lee questioned, "how did you know the pregnant woman was the guilty one selling the blueprint?"

"Because of the center of gravity," she responded sensibly, as if that explained everything.

Which, of course, clarified NOTHING as Billy and Lee could not have looked more confused.

"What?" Lee scowled.

"During a pregnancy, a woman's weight is distributed up front, which throws off her center of gravity," Amanda explained, "and I noticed the pregnant lady in the park had walked straight and didn't waddle. And let me tell you, ALL pregnant women waddle. I know_ I_ certainly did with both with Philip and Jamie," she then lifted her index finger to make her next point, " ALSO when she picked up her purse from the bench, I noticed she'd bent at the waist. Not possible to do either of those movements if the woman was actually pregnant."

Somehow the core of her rambling made sense, Lee thought to himself as he looked at her with admiration. In addition to her talent of being sensible, Amanda was great at noticing the smallest of details. That would always work in her favor as a spy. _A_ _trainee spy_, he reminded himself, wanting to believe that she was really more a suburban housewife than a spy.

"Smart thinking, Amanda!" Billy beamed.

"Thank you, and now, if you don't mind, Sir, I'd like to be excused so that I can go back to my desk to type up the report while it's still fresh in my head."

"Excellent idea, Amanda!" Billy told her, "and again, congratulations on a well done job!"

Standing, Lee opened the door and gallantly allowed Amanda to exit first. But just as Lee was also about to leave, Billy called him back.

"Not you, Scarecrow," Billy told him, "Stay. I'd like a word with you..."

_Now what?_ Lee thought. He knew the second Billy called him "Scarecrow" it was spy business. Closing the door to allow some privacy, he sat down once again.

"What's up, Billy?"

"I'm sending you off on another mission," Billy informed him, "black ops, this time. Utmost secrecy is required. And the best part is that I think you'll actually enjoy _this_ one."

Lee was intrigued. He straightened his suit jacket, "Oh yeah?"

Billy nodded.

"I'll be sending you off to Paris, France. First class. We'll be using Pierre as your contact again. Further instructions will be given by him when you arrive there." Billy then shoved the plane tickets across his desk.

Lee looked pleased and excited as he grabbed the tickets and placed them inside his jacket pocket.

"Paris, France, eh?"

Billy nodded, "I hope you can pack fast. You'll be leaving in two hours."

But Lee's elated expression faded somewhat when he looked out the office window towards the direction of Amanda, who sat busily typing.

Lee then turned back to Billy, "I'm going on a mission _alone, _right?_"_

But too late, Billy's eyes had followed Lee's vision line and he realized that Lee had been staring at Amanda.

"Yes, _alone_...you still know how to do that, don't you, Scarecrow?" Billy challenged him.

Lee looked embarrassed that he had been caught gazing out at Amanda and his demeanor changed immediately.

He recovered by looking adamant, "Of course I know how to work alone, Billy! In fact I _relish_ it!"

Billy looked relieved.

"Good! That's what I like to hear from my number one agent!"

"I guess I better go, then," Lee said, as he now got up. He paused a bit before asking, "and just to be sure I understand this assignment correctly, I will be working _entirely_ alone over there, the whole time_._..while you keep Amanda _here_, is that right?"

"Most certainly!" Billy's face relaxed as a smile appeared, "And by keeping her busy here, I'll actually be doing the country of France a favor!"

Lee grinned, "You're right about that! Because if Amanda were to go to France, I'd probably end up _dangling_ from the Eiffel Tower or some other such nonsense!"

Billy smiled.

"Another international crisis averted!" he joked back.

Lee also smiled, He turned to leave, but turned back around.

"One more thing, Billy. Do you think you can handle Amanda by yourself, without _me_?"

Billy shrugged, "You can rest your mind on that point. Amanda will be diligently typing and filing reports the entire time you're away on your mission. What could possibly go wrong?"

"You want a list?" Lee quickly shot back.

Billy chuckled.

Both knew from experience that keeping Amanda away from trouble was like keeping the sun away from the sky.

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_Hellooo...I'm soooo glad to be back with a multi-chapter story!_

_Hope you enjoy it!_

_Please review_


	2. Chapter 2

The Visitor

Chapter 2

(Paris, France)

_It had taken Lee a week to find the leader of a nefarious counterintelligence group in Paris._

_Under the moonlit night, Lee had been chasing Gaspard Denaud through the dark catacombs of Paris. Located beneath the Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame, the underground passageway was dank, cold and dreary. Their hurried steps echoed throughout the stoned, crumbling aquaduct, as rusted water dripped eerily amid the long wall of skull bones. _

_But the dark and sinister chamber would not deter Lee from his mission._

_At last Denaud reached a part of the dark cavern with no exit, no way to escape. He was cornered. With his back up against the wall he was like a caged animal. Lee would be upon him soon, but Denaud actually welcomed the confrontation. With a malicious smile, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a gun and aimed it directly at Lee's heart._

_Lee had a split second to act. Using the momentum of his running, he used his legs like pistons and jumped straight at Denaud, just as he fired a wayward shot. The gun flew out of Denaud's hand as the two men collided. But Denaud was bigger and stronger than Lee, so it was like jumping against a cement block. However, Lee had one advantage over his powerful enemy._

_He knew to attack the vulnerable spots of the human body._

_Positioning himself for a palm strike, he hit Denaud's nose hard. There was immediately a squelching sound, like someone stepping on the crunchy shell of a big black bug and Denaud howled loudly. Then Lee used his elbow to smash the exposed area of Denaud's neck, nearly caving his windpipe in. A gurgling sound could be heard from the man while Lee finished up with a roundhouse kick hard to the man's face. Denaud slumped to the ground, all fight gone from him._

_Lee picked up the gun and aimed it at him, "Il est plus, Pal," he said in French, letting him know it was done. Denaud could only glare angrily at Lee._

_Mission accomplished, Lee wearily thought._

_Yet his heart felt light._

_It was time to go home._

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_(Back at Arlington, Virgina)_

Amanda loved working at the Agency.

She wanted to think she loved every aspect of it, including the filing, the research, the transcribing, and the interactions in the office. But if she were to be totally honest with herself, it was being out in the field where she felt she shined, where she could use her natural skills of common sense to dodge bullets, disarm bombs, chase bad guys and of course, work alongside Lee.

Sighing, she looked across the way from her station over to his desk. It was empty now, for he had been gone for over a week, off doing some spy work on his own at an undisclosed location.

Every case _she_ had ever been on always involved Lee, but not every case that _he _went on involved _her._

A huge stack of files was suddenly dumped on her desk.

By Francine.

"Well, Amanda," Francine said, "as you can see, I'm back from another successful mission!"

Seems even Francine got a chance to see some action.

"Hello, Francine," Amanda greeted her, "it's good to see you back safe."

"Thanks," Francine was glib, "and of course, my mission was very complicated and required quite a bit of traveling, thus the heavy file load! Hope you don't mind being stuck in the office typing up the reports!"

Amanda tried not to feel overwhelmed as she peered over at the newly stacked pile.

No, she convinced herself; she would _not_ be a pessimist.

"Oh, not at _all,_ Francine," Amanda smiled, "and don't worry about _me_; I _never_ feel stuck here! It's an absolute pleasure to be doing this work. I am forever grateful in helping to infiltrate enemy ranks any way that I can!"

Francine thinned her lips. Conversing with Amanda was like debating with sunshine. Except sunshine didn't make you feel guilty.

"Oh, _good,_ Amanda...and, you know, after thinking about things, perhaps you can hand back one of my files to me so_ I_ could type it up," Francine stated stiffly, "no thanks required; after all, my mission is completed, so I don't have much to do, and I'd certainly _hate_ to die of boredom."

"Oh _no,_ Francine," she stated politely, "you are _much _too important to be chained to a desk! I wouldn't think of..."

Francine visibly rolled her eyes, her hand on her hip.

"Amanda!" snapped an impatient Francine, "_Just give me a damn file_!"

So Amanda sweetly handed Francine the _thickest_ file.

"If you insist, Francine," Amanda said helpfully, "but be careful, you may need two hands to carry this one."

"Great," Francine said sarcastically as she accepted the file with both hands, "Oomph! Thanks..."

Francine couldn't believe what had just occurred. Here she was, a world-class agent, and yet she just thanked the part-time typist for allowing her to type up her own report!

She held her head up high.

"Amanda, you understand that I'm not doing it for _you_," Francine stated, wanting to keep her dignity intact, "it's for the Agency."

"Of course," Amanda stated, "the Agency."

"No, I mean it," Francine insisted.

"Yes, I understand and appreciate your sacrifice, Francine."

Amanda looked wide-eyed while Francine scoffed in frustration and then walked away with her heavy file.

Alone at her desk again, Amanda continued diligently typing away , She gasped in the middle of one report when she realized that she had typed in "_Agent Stetson_" instead of "_Agent Smithson"_ on a report. Looking around guiltily, she quickly picked up the typewriter correction tape.

With the correction completed, she next heard the phone on her desk ringing.

_R-i-i-ng! R-i-i-ng!_

For a second, her pulse race in anticipation, thinking it could be Lee. But she couldn't imagine why he would be calling her. _Stop thinking about him,_ she berated herself.

Nevertheless, she picked up immediately.

"Hello?" she tried not to make her voice sound anxious, "IFF. This is Amanda King."

"Amanda, dear?" it was her mother.

Amanda was taken aback, for her mother almost never called...unless something was wrong.

"Mother, are you alright? Are the boys?"

"Oh, yes, Amanda, I'm fine and so are the boys! Everything is _fine!_" Dotty assured her.

Amanda wasn't sure if she liked the tone of "fine".

"Then what is it, Mother? Why are you calling?"

"Oh, you would not believe what happened today!" Dotty told her, choosing to go the long way around in explanations, "Now, my day started out _perfectly_ normal. I was in the kitchen chopping up some vegetables for our stew tonight when I heard some noise outside..."

At the same time Amanda was half-listening, she was also skimming over the report she had just finished typing. Dotty rattled on while Amanda would occasionally insert a 'uh-huh" into the conversation.

"... and luckily it _wasn't_ a possum," Dotty was saying,"so as I continued looking out the window, I caught a glimpse of..." she paused for dramatic effect, "..._someone lurking outside our house.._."

Amanda stopped reading and put her report down.

"_Lurking?_" she asked, concerned, "Mother, did you say someone was _lurking_ around our house? Did you call the police?"

"I didn't need to," Dotty responded mysteriously.

"What?! Why not?" Amanda's eyes became large as she tried not to sound alarmed, "Mother, this lurker...was he a man?"

"Yes, of course he was a man, Amanda!" Dotty thought it was obvious, "Only men _lurk!_ Women just _hang around, _being nosy, like Mrs. Henshaw. Did I tell you that the other day when I saw her..."

But Amanda was still thinking about the Lurker. Oh my gosh...could it have been Lee? Had he completed his mission early? Even so, why would Lee be visiting her house in the middle of the afternoon?

Meanwhile, Dotty was rattling away about Mrs. Henshaw.

"...and she claimed that Mary Beth had to wait so long at the bus stop that someone tried to tack a 'Missing Cat' poster on her! Which is ridiculous, so I told her..."

"Mother, STOP!" interrupted Amanda, "let's go back to this man you saw..." she made sure that her question was very specific, "was he lurking in the _front _or the _backyard_ of our house?"

"Amanda, that's rather a strange question, isn't it?" Dotty asked, not answering her question directly, "Anyway, what matters is that when I went out to confront him, it turns out he is actually a friend of yours!"

Amanda felt the bottom had fallen out from underneath her. She could barely breathe.

"I know him, Mother? " Amanda's voice sounded a whole octave higher, "_Who is he?_...What is his _name_?"

Amanda tried not to sound impatient as she sat at the edge of her chair.

"If you're really _that _anxious to know his identity, Dear, his name is... oh..._what?_" Dotty seemed to be listening to someone speaking. It was a male's voice, "Oh, alright..." she got back on the phone with Amanda, "he says I shouldn't tell you his name; it'll be a surprise for you."

Amanda stood up very slowly, "Mother, that man... he's...there, ..._with_ you..._isn'_t he?"

"Why yes, Dear; he's graciously decided to join me for some tea."

Oh gosh!

Amanda's _'Worried-meter'_ went through the roof!

Could it be that Lee had decided to suddenly make himself known to her mother? No, that didn't make any sense to her.

Then a dreaded feeling entered Amanda's mind. Maybe it wasn't even Lee...maybe, just maybe... her mother was entertaining a thief, a con man...or the very worse, _an enemy spy!_

_Must not worry Mother,_ Amanda immediately thought.

"I'll be right home, Mother!" she promised as she was already grabbing her purse, "In the meantime...just...be _careful._.."

"Take your time, Dear," Dotty assured her, "We are having a _most_ delightful chat!"

.

Amanda had never driven her station wagon so fast in her entire life. She felt her heart beating faster and faster with each street she past.

All this time she hated the feeling of hiding this double life from her mother, but at the thought that her spy life might suddenly be revealed today, Amanda was not ready to face all the endless questions her mother would have for her. This was _not_ how she envisioned her family finding out.

But worse, what if this person wasn't even Lee?

That thought made Amanda made her floor the accelerator.

If it wasn't Lee...it could be someone at the house with nefarious dealings, intent on kidnapping her mother and holding her for ransom. At that image, Amanda's heart was beating so fast now, she thought it might explode.

At last Amanda arrived at her house and she quietly maneuvered her station wagon up the driveway. She looked around, but saw no evidence of Lee's Corvette. But then, there was no sign of any other unusual cars on the block. Strange. Getting out of her vehicle, Amanda went to the back of her station wagon and pulled out Jamie's baseball bat.

She entered through the back gate, bat in hand.

Sneaking up to the back door, she silently opened the door and slipped in. She could hear Dotty speaking to someone, but she couldn't make out the words.

Amanda tiptoed further in. While in the entranceway of the back door area, she stuck her head out to peer around the kitchen and could see the back of the man's head on the long sofa with Dotty sitting across from him in a chair.

It definitely wasn't the back of Lee's head.

So if it wasn't Lee, who was sitting on the sofa? She could now clearly hear Dotty's voice .

"...and of course, I'm sure everyone at IFF is _very_ impressed with Amanda's skills..." bragged Dotty, "after all, she can easily type 85 words a minute without blinking an eye!"

At the same time, Dotty's head came up and she spotted Amanda. Amanda was adamantly shaking her head 'no', but Dotty paid no heed as she showed pure delight on her face.

"Oh! Amanda, dear! You're home!"

The dark-haired man stood up and turned around, a grin appearing on his face at her appearance.

"Hel-lo, Amanda," he said almost shyly, his eyes sparkling.

Amanda's eyes widened with surprise and she dropped the baseball bat when she recognized the visitor.

"Connie!"

That was all she could blurt out upon seeing her old high school friend, Conrad Barnhill.

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_My gosh, (yes, I do talk like that!) thank you for all the reviews, alerts and faves! What a nice way to be welcomed back!_

_Please review_


	3. Chapter 3

Meetings

Chapter 3

Amanda had been stunned at the appearance of Conrad Walter Barnhill, aka 'Connie', aka the mild-mannered assistant mistakenly identified as 'The Mongoose' when Amanda had been sent to England.

Dotty, naturally, read Amanda's full-out shocked reaction differently.

"Oh Darling, isn't it wonderful to have one of your classmates from high school here?" Dotty was just emitting pure joy at the thought, "I didn't even recognize him at first! I'm sure it's been a very long time since you've seen him, and here he is, all grown up!"

Conrad looked tentative as he addressed Amanda.

"Amanda, I hope you're surprised...and not disappointed...at me being here at your house," He sounded as if he didn't want to hear the answer.

He stood formally, wearing a cardigan with a white shirt and tie, looking at her hesitantly, as if he was afraid of being rejected. Or maybe that was his usual expression when meeting people. She hadn't seen him since that adventure they had in London when Lee tried to catch the Mongoose, which had been less than a year. And now out of the blue, Conrad was here, inside her own home.

She should be relieved that the visitor hadn't turned out to be a bad person. Instead, it was shy, harmless Connie Barnhill. But then again, she ruefully thought, it wasn't Lee, either.

Although, _that_ wasn't Conrad's fault.

Amanda let out one of her brightest smiles and opened her arms wide as she approached him.

"Oh Connie! Where are my manners? My gosh, it's wonderful to see you!" she enthused, while giving her old friend a warm bear hug.

That seemed to soothe Conrad's misgivings and his eyes showed warmth when they finished the embrace, "I'm glad you're happy to see me, Amanda, because it's really _great_ for me to see you, again, too!"

"Oh, isn't this a happy reunion!" clapped Dotty, "And doesn't Conrad look so very _handsome_!"

"Thank you, Mrs. West," he humbly stated, "And I remembered how back in high school, you were known as the coolest mom around!"

"_Aren't you a dear!"_ Dotty looked pleased, "well, sit, sit! And Amanda, you sit right _nex_t to him!. I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do!"

"Well, Mother, I see _you_ have been doing a good job of entertaining Connie," Amanda said.

"Oh, he's been _absolutely_ delightful! Conrad has certainly helped pass the time for me in _such_ a lovely way!" Dotty claimed.

At her own mention of "time", her face suddenly became alarmed as she glanced at her watch.

"Oh! Will you look at the time! I almost forgot!" Dotty exclaimed, "I promised Mrs. Henderson that we would meet at Mr. Barkley's fruit stand!" she then leaned into Conrad, "Mr. Barkley, you see, sells the freshest apples around!"

She couldn't had been more obvious with her matchmaking skills if she reached up and slapped Amanda in the face with a Valentine's card.

Conrad nodded solemnly, "I don't doubt, Mrs. West, that Mr. Barkley's fruits are _very_ fresh."

Dotty covertly gave Amanda a look that read: _this one's a keeper_. Amanda returned Dotty's look with an expression that read, _Oh, Mother!_

"Well...perhaps...I should be off before Mr. Barkley closes his stand! " Dotty said merrily as she now turned to Conrad, "but I do hope, Conrad, that you are here when I return!"

"That is so nice of you to say, Mrs. West."

Dotty gave him a sincere smile, "And it was nice seeing you again, Conrad!"

"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. West," he politely responded.

_Such a nice, young man. _Dotty was impressed, she almost wanted to pinch his little cheek! She gave him one final smile before she left, leaving Conrad and Amanda alone in the house.

"Your mother is as nice as I remembered," he commented after Dotty left, "and she reminds me of my mother."

"They'll always our mothers, aren't they?" Amanda said, "forever hovering over us, worrying about us, advising us; even now, when we are all grown up!"

"I agree," he said, giving a half-smile. He then looked at her with what seemed to be puppy eyes, "It's okay, that I came here to see you, isn't it, Amanda?" he stated with uncertainty, "I mean, I know you're so busy and all..."

Amanda reassured him.

"Of course it is, Connie!...But look, here, your tie is crooked again..." she instinctively reached up and adjusted his tie, like she had done a few times when they had been in London. It seemed to work in relaxing Conrad, as his body didn't seem so stiff and he gave her a sincere smile.

"Thanks," he said giving her a weak smile. He then cleared his throat, "You look as beautiful as always, Amanda."

"Oh, Connie!" Amanda blushed shyly at him and then gave him a questioning look, "But I'm sure you didn't come on the way out here to tell me that! Did things go well for you after I left England? You had all those TV and radio interviews to do once the Mongoose was captured! Last time I checked, you were the talk of the town!"

Conrad looked embarrassed, "I guess I got carried away with the hero thing, didn't I? It's right what they said about that 15 minutes of fame-it really is fleeting."

"_Welll_," Amanda tried to sound comforting, "It must be good to get a private life back, right?"

"It's okay, I suppose," He shrugged, "but it sure was exciting to play spy for that time; I don't think I'll _ever_ experience that feeling again now that I'm back to be being plain old me!"

Amanda patted his hand and furtively emphasized, "I'm going to let you in on a secret, Connie...spy work isn't as exciting as it's cracked up to be."

Conrad didn't look convinced.

"I know you're just trying to make me feel better, so I appreciate that," he said, "but I know how exciting spy work, can be! And I haven't forgotten how, when we were in England,you stuck by me, believed in me, and didn't believe for one second that I could ever be the Mongoose. You and Mr. Stetson really saved my life over there!"

"Oh, you were quite brave yourself!" Amanda told him, "and as far as believing in you, there was NEVER a doubt in my mind that you weren't the Mongoose-never in a million years!" Amanda then looked slightly worried as she thought of something else, "By the way, Connie, you didn't HAPPEN to tell Mother about what had happened over in London with us, did you?"

She was afraid that Conrad may have unknowingly told her mother that she doing spy business over there.

"You mean the whole Mongoose thing?" he asked, "Oh, noooo, Amanda! I _swear_ I didn't! Cross my heart and hope to die, too! I figured by the way your mom was going on about you and IFF, that she probably didn't know _anything _about you being a hot shot agent!"

Amanda breathed out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, but let me remind you again, Connie, I'm just an _apprentice _agent."

"...and Lawrence Olivier was _just_ an actor," he countered.

Amanda smiled again, "That's not _quite_ the right analogy, but thank you!" she began to stand, "Now, why don't you just relax here... I'll brew some more tea and we could sit awhile and chat about the old times!"

"Oh, that will be wonderful!"

His eyes never left Amanda as she walked back into the kitchen. He was thinking how Amanda hadn't changed at all through the years. She was as lovely, bright and cheery as she had been in high school.

And he still loved her.

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_Lee had just completed another mission. He had been assigned to Paris to infiltrate a rebel military training camp. After a few close calls, he was able to penetrate the enemy camp and capture its leader. The mission had been a complete success. As a reward, Billy allowed him a couple of extra recreational days in Paris. Lee had been here already a whole week, but this would be the first time he could actually enjoy the city._

_As he sat in one of the many open cafes, he took note of the charming city with its quaint markets, alluring boutiques, elegant boulevards and its overall romantic surroundings._

_And yet, with love all around him, he felt lonely._

_The waiter had come over, just as Lee had left the tip and was starting to leave._

_"J'espère, mon ami, et Profitez de votre temps dans la ville de l'amour!" the waiter told him with a happy smile._

_Lee gave a half-smile back. The waiter was telling Lee that he hoped his visit in the city of love was most enjoyable._

_Humph, City of love. Rather ironic, Lee guffawed, considering he was alone._

_Paris est vraiment la ville de l'amour, mon ami, " Lee responded back to the waiter, "mais, malheureusement, il n'est pas de cette façon pour moi."_

_As the waiter listened carefully to Lee, his cheerful expression became ruefully solemn when Lee admitted to him that although Paris is truly the city of love, sadly,it had not come true for him._

_Which left Andre the waiter completely baffled._

_He could not understand why a cultured, handsome gentlemen such as this man would not have someone special in his life. He watched as Lee stood up and left a huge tip for him before departing from the small cafe. All Andre could do now is gather his empty plates and wine glass and watch as the solitude figure strolled, unaccompanied, down the cobbled streets of Paris._

.

Lee was tired.

He was now driving back to his apartment after the long flight back to DC. All that would greet him when he got home was an empty apartment.

As he stopped at a red light, he saw a random blue station wagon making a right hand turn and it reminded him of Amanda's station wagon. Hmmm. Amanda. What had she been doing the entire time he had been gone? Had she missed him, or was she more relieved to have stability back in her life? He smiled when he thought what a wrench he must have thrown in her life the day he had handed off that package to her at the train station.

_Who was he fooling thinking that he threw a wrench into her life_? He internally reasoned. _It was __she __who threw...a duster into his life and dusted his life into a flurry of feathered craziness!_

Then his expression softened at his sudden realization of what all this meant. He missed Amanda. It was as if he didn't appreciate the true value of her until she became a memory. He truly missed her sparkling eyes, her optimistic viewpoints...her smile.

When it was a green light again, Lee made a decision. Making a sharp u-turn, he headed back towards Amanda's house. His desire to see her suddenly became overwhelming.

He felt he needed to see her _today,_ so that he could smile once again.

.

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_Please review_


	4. Chapter 4

A Friend in Need

Chapter 4

Amanda was still entertaining Conrad.

In the kitchen, she had filled up the teapot with fresh water and now was placing it on the stove. She then reached over to open the kitchen window to let some fresh air in. How lovely the day is, she thought, yet there seemed to be an overcast in her heart.

Where was Lee at this moment? she wondered. She wanted so much to ask Mr. Melrose, but she was too embarrassed, thinking she appear too concerned for another fellow agent. All she knew was that Lee was not in his office and that Billy said he wouldn't be back for awhile. Was he still on this secret assignment? She wondered, And was he safe? She berated herself for her questioning ways; she needed to think more positive, and not think that something bad could have happened to him.

He was the best spy in the business, so of course he'll come back.

He just had to.

From the entertainment room, she heard Conrad yelling out.

_"Amanda, you sure you're not going through too much trouble?"_

_"Not at all, Connie!"_ she shouted back, _"I'll be right out with some tea and homemade cookies!"_

She needed to stop thinking about Lee. After all, she was entertaining a guest. Looking out the kitchen window again, she noticed that her mother's geraniums were growing beautifully. With that last thought on her mind, she put the teapot on the stove and began humming as she used a spatula to put some newly made cookies she had baked earlier that morning on a plate.

.

Approaching Amanda's house, Lee had seen her station wagon in the driveway, so he knew she was home. The anticipation that he would soon be conversing with her face-to-face made his pulse race. He truly missed the laugh that made him smile and also the eyes that said they cared.

Sneaking into her backyard, he could smell the aroma from the morning baked cookies. Snickerdoodles, one of his favorites. They smelled wonderful, he thought, hoping Amanda would eventually offer one to him. Or maybe two. Or three.

Now stooped under the windowsill he could hear her softly humming and he smiled to himself.

_She'll certainly be surprised to see me, _he thought gleefully.

He was just about to do his usual 'unexpected pop up' from the bushes when-

A man's voice yelled out, "_Amanda, you don't happen to have some sugar for the tea, do you?"_

_"Of course, Connie!"_ he heard Amanda shout back, _" I'll be sure to bring it out!"_

This was followed up by the teapot whistling happily.

eeeeeEEEEEEEEE!

Lee could hear the sound of Amanda turning off the stove and then busily placing items on a tray as she continued to hum, but the kitchen no longer sounded cheery to him. Next he heard her retreating footsteps exiting the kitchen. Straining his ears, he could hear some quiet murmurings coming from a different room.

Connie? Lee thought with a scowl on his face, _Conrad Barnhill_ is here... in Arlington! With Amanda! At the homey image of Connie and Amanda snuggled on the sofa together, along with tea and _his_ snickerdoodles, Lee felt his heart sink.

He knew Amanda always held a soft spot for Conrad, although Lee couldn't figure out why.

Then he shook his head at his own nonsensical thinking. Why should an old friend visiting Amanda _bother __him_? After all, it was her life and she could entertain whomever she wanted. HE had certainly entertained enough of the female persuasion ...well, not recently, _but he had!_

Still crouched under the window, Lee wondered what to do next.

All he knew was that it had been so silly of him to be thinking of Amanda so much while he was in Paris.

Lee shook his head at his own foolishness. Maybe he hadn't actually been missing her, maybe it was just that he had no one else special in his life to think about. Not that _she_ was special to him. He had told himself many times that she was nothing to him but a professional co-worker, who, by the way, tripped into more predicaments than anyone else he had ever met!

And the less he thought about her, the better.

She had a personal life, and he certainly did, too!

He couldn't believe he had been crouched here underneath the windowsill of house so long, just waiting anxiously to pop up and face her. Didn't he have better things to do with his time? He had just came back from a difficult, covert mission- he should be relaxing with a glass of fine wine...and perhaps with a beautiful woman in his arms, too, if he so desired!

Of course, he surmised, _that is what he needed to do!_ he finally convinced himself. This playing a game of dropping by unexpectedly at Amanda's had been a really bad idea.

An old adage suddenly entered his mind: Two's company, three's a crowd.

And HE is _never_ the third wheel. NEVER! Yet despite his little solitary pep talk, Lee's heart still felt heavy as he snuck away from Amanda's backyard, and returned to his own dark, lonely apartment.

.

"_Here_ we go, Connie!" Amanda said brightly as she went back to the entertainment room and placed the tray of tea items down in front of Conrad, along with some snickerdoodle cookies.

"Oh, Amanda, it looks delightful!" Conrad announced as he took the teacup Amanda offered him.

"Thank you, Connie," Amanda took a seat next to him, "Anyway, I'm sure you are very happy to be back in the states and not working for the Mongoose any longer."

"You're right about that, Amanda," Conrad told her, "I hated being bossed around and scared and being a person I'm not. I've become stronger, Amanda, although I'm still not anything like Mr. Stetson!"

_Lee._ At the sound of Lee's name, Amanda's mind drifted slightly. She really missed him.

"It's true you are _not_ Mr. Stetson, but that's because you are a very _special_ person named Conrad Barnhill!" Amanda encouraged, "and look at you now! You have truly come into your own!"

Her cheeriness always had a way of making Conrad feel better about himself. He looked down shyly before looking up at her.

"You know, Amanda," he pointed out, "you're the only person I can really talk to about all of this. You've always understood me. I thought I wanted to be spy because I wanted something exciting in my life. But you've made me see that being a spy was not a true career fit for me. I'm glad I had you to help guide me in becoming my own person."

"Well, that stress-filled lifestyle is definitely _not_ for everyone," Amanda stated diplomatically.

"Yeah," he agreed, "I'm done with all that spy stuff."

"Glad to hear that!" she exclaimed, offering him a cookie from the plate, "and so, what are you doing now, Connie?"

He took the cookie, "I'm in law enforcement!" he said excitedly as he took a bite.

Amanda almost spilled the plate of cookies she had been holding. She forced a smile.

_"Welllll._.." she said, searching for words, "From spy work to law enforcement...quite, um, _switch_ for you, isn't it!"

"Oh yes," he said, wanting to make a point, "but it's not what you think,Amanda. I'm NOT risking my life by _any_ means. You see, I'm a clerk in the evidence room! You know; filing, putting evidence in boxes, stacking, that kind of thing. So I'm not put in any danger at all... unless, that is, a big box falls on me!"

He smiled at his joke while Amanda looked relieved.

"Gosh, the job certainly sounds..._stable_," she said honestly.

"It _is,_" Conrad acknowledged, "but it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life. No siree, Bob! I _do_ see myself in something more exciting in the future. I mean, I _liked_ being the hero with that Mongoose stuff, but this time around, I want to be the kind of hero who doesn't do anything that involves fighting...or guns...or violence or anything like that. "

Amanda looked doubtful.

"I'm not sure there are a lot of openings for a job as a hero without any risks involved," she truthfully told him.

"Oh, I'm not obsessing about it right now anyway," Conrad assured her, "being an evidence room clerk is interesting enough for me. The people are nice there. In fact, I rarely get yelled at because I never misfile _anything_. I'm really good at my job!"

Amanda looked pleased, "Oh, Connie, that's wonderful! From what you've described, the job really seems to suit you!"

"It definitely has advantages," Conrad told her, "another great thing about that job is that it allows me to move back here to Arlington, near my mother...and of course, near a good friend like you, too," he blushed.

Amanda nodded politely.

"So where _are_ you living now?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"I'm staying at a motel until I can find a permanent place," he told her.

"A motel?" she looked disapprovingly at him.

"It'll all I can afford now," he told her, "but it'll only be temporary. Don't worry, it's in a nice area. Safe. Or, kinda safe, I guess."

Amanda placed her teacup back on the saucer. Something in Conrad's tone didn't sound right. She noted when he brought the teacup to his lips, his hand was slightly shaking. It was definitely something more than Conrad being nervous seeing her.

"Connie...is there another reason you've dropped by? Something bothering you?" she asked, a look of sincere concern in her eyes.

"Uh, no, Amanda," he said hesitantly, but she noticed that his hand seemed to be shaking even more.

"Connie," assured Amanda, "we have been friends forever and I can tell when something is bothering you. Believe me, you can tell me _anything."_

His face brightened for a second, "Really, Amanda? Anything?"

"Of course, Connie," she gently responded.

"_See?_ I _told_ you that you're my one friend who has always understood me!" Conrad admitted, "and you're right, something IS bothering me!"

Amanda gave him her full attention, "I'm listening, Connie. Go right on ahead."

He looked around anxiously before he slightly leaned in.

"It's just..." he swallowed hard, "...I need your help...as a spy...since you're the best..."

His eyes were pleading.

It felt it was deja vu all over again, with Connie accidentally getting into trouble and needing a way out.

"You need my spy expertise, Connie?" Amanda looked baffled, "but I thought you were done with spy work?!"

He nodded convincingly, "I _am,_ Amanda; but I don't think the spy world is done with _me_."

Amanda sat back.

I don't know how I can be of help to you, Connie," she stated, "but I promise I will do whatever I can to help you."

Conrad whole face lit up.

"Oh thank you, Amanda, thank you!" he sounded very grateful, "You're like my anchor! Except you don't stay stationary...you actually go out and _do_ stuff!"

Amanda sighed to herself, _Connie really needed to work on his analogies._

"So what is it you need from me?" she inquired of Conrad.

"It's hard for me to explain..." he timidly looked down at his shoes.

"Connie, " Amanda tried to sound patient, "sometimes the best way to explain something is just to _blurt it out! _Don't mince words!"

"You're right, of course...as always..." he agreed, still looking down at his shoes.

She waited with bated breath while he took a deep breath in. When he turned to her, his eyes were filled with fear.

" Amanda..." he breathed out, "I think someone is _trying to kill me!_"

.

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_Please review_


	5. Chapter 5

Using Common Sense

Chapter 5

Amanda put her tea cup down to give him her full attention.

"Are you _sure_ someone is trying to kill you, Connie?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes," he said with certainty, "and on purpose, too!"

"Oh myyy," Amanda looked concerned. Then she asked, "Any idea who it could be?"

"No, not at all!"His eyes looked round with fright,"Everyone at work is so nice. I've never had anyone mad at me, well, except the Mongoose, but he's mad at everyone! _Wait_...do you think it could be the Mongoose trying to seek revenge on me?"

"No, I don't think so," Amanda told him honestly, "the Mongoose was someone who worked alone. I don't think he would have any other accomplices."

Conrad sat back, relieved.

"Thank God for that!" he exclaimed, "because he was mean. _Really_ mean. And bossy, too."

Amanda tried to approach this logically.

"Now, Connie, think very carefully," she said, "and tell me exactly what happened when you thought someone was trying to kill you," she told him in all sincerity, " and don't leave ANYTHING out!"

He let out a relieved breath. Amanda was so comforting; he already felt better.

"Okay, Amanda; You see, it happened yesterday," he explained, "I was walking down the street, minding my own business. Suddenly I felt a shove from behind me, and I was propelled forward at exactly the same time a truck came barreling down the street!"

"Oh gosh, Connie, how scary!" Amanda's eyes became round with alarm,"and _then_ what happened?"

She sat forward at the edge of her seat.

"And _then_," Connie's eyes were almost as large as hers, as he relived it, "and _then_..." his eyes focused hard on her, "...and then," his shoulders drooped, "well, actually...that's it. I was pushed."

Amanda sat back.

"What do you mean _that's it?" _she questioned him.

"Isn't that enough?" he asked, looking slightly traumatized.

"Oh, of course, it's terrible that someone pushed you onto the street!" Amanda acknowledged, "Can you describe that person? Tell me if that person were male or female?"

Connie shook his head," No, I really can't say, Amanda. It happened so fast! By the time I had the guts to look behind me, there were just regular pedestrians on the sidewalk; no one who looked like he or she went around pushing people purposely onto speeding cars!" his eyes looked frightful, "I tell you, Amanda, It was scary...not as scary as confronting the Mongoose, but _it's up there in the top two!"_

Amanda didn't know WHAT to make of his claim.

"Connie, let me ask you a _very_ important question," she emphasized, "Are you _positive_ someone _purposely_ pushed you? Could it have just been, _oh, I_ _don't know,_ a clumsy person accidentally bumping into you or the crowd pressing forward and you've got the worse of it?"

"No, no, nothing like that, Amanda," Conrad told her, "It was definitely a push, I'm sure of it! I felt two hands on my back! I didn't see my life flashing before me, but I sure saw a careening truck, and it was TERRIBLE!"

Amanda gave it some thought. Connie really had a way of getting into trouble, though no fault of his own. Still, she had no reason to believe it didn't happened just as he said it did. She stood up.

"Maybe you should go, Connie."

Conrad looked crestfallen that she was so dismissive of him.

"Oh, I get it," his head drooped, "You don't believe me, so you want me to go. I don't blame you, _why,_ if I were you..."

"No, Connie, that is NOT what is happening! " Amanda sounded exasperated, hating to see how little confidence Conrad had. He still had his head bowed down, "Do you hear me?...heyyy, _look at me_!" she insisted.

His head seemed heavy as he forced it up.

"Don't worry, Amanda, I understand."

"_Conrad Barnhill_," Amanda sounded like a strict teacher berating an uncooperative student, "when I said you should go, I meant we should BOTH go and investigate! You're going to show me where this on-purpose accident took place!"

Conrad's whole face perked up.

"_Really_, Amanda? "

"Yes," she said decisively, "but I can't promise you anything..."

"Believe me, you've already done enough!" he looked like an excited kid, "I'll show you _exactly_ where it happened! Oh, Amanda! I'm so happy you've agreed to look into this!"

Amanda smiled at a relieved Conrad, " Then, let's go!"

.

They were in a different area of Arlington that was basically a residential street with a few small businesses squeezed in. The businesses were located in a strip mall.

"So the on-purpose accident happened here, Connie?" she asked him.

"Yeah, right here is where I was pushed," Conrad pointed out a part of the sidewalk, "At least as close to what I remembered. So what do you think, Amanda?"

"Well..." She looked up and down the streets, not knowing what to do, "maybe we should look around a bit."

Conrad smiled, "Good idea, Amanda!"

Amanda inspected the sidewalk carefully, walking all the way almost to the street, "Oh myyyy," she remarked, looking at a specific area.

Conrad went to where she stood, "What is it?_"_

She pointed, "I see some skids marks over there."

He looked over, "Is that a good thing?"

"Truthfully, Connie, I'm not sure if these skid marks had to do with you_,_" she told him, "but if they did, they seem to verify the fact that the driver was trying to _avoid _hitting you. Whatever happened to you, this driver was not up to anything nefarious. Like you, he was just a person who was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Well that's a relief, I guess," Conrad stated as he looked at Amanda with new admiration, "I'm so glad you're here, Amanda. You really deserve to be one of their top agents!"

"I told you, Connie, I'm only an apprentice," she reminded him again, although she appreciated the compliments, "but ... why don't we look around some more to see if we can find other clues as to who could have pushed you."

Conrad scowled, "I don't know where else to look, Amanda. I'm telling you, the person...just seemed to come out of nowhere!"

"My common sense tells me that people don't appear out of thin air, Connie. That person _had _to come out from somewhere," Amanda insisted as she looked around. Her eyes became round with excitement at the next thing she noticed, "and I think I might know where the person could have been hiding. Look! Over there! The nearby alley between those two buildings!"

"Oh, I hadn't even noticed that before!" Conrad exclaimed as Amanda hurriedly walked over to the alleyway with him following close behind.

The narrow passageway was the typical dirty, dank, smelly alley, complete with tossed aside trash everywhere and one old wooden crate. Amanda went up and sat down on the crate and then looked out from the alleyway.

"Ick," Conrad looked disgustedly around and then at Amanda, "Are you sure you want to sit on that dirty old crate? It's not the most sterile thing around."

"I'm sitting here for a reason, Connie."

For a second, Amanda was silently thinking as she sat on the crate looking straight out, staring directly ahead, as if she was envisioning something.

"Amanda?" Connie asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Hmmm...you know," she began slowly, "I think the murderer could have possibly been sitting _here_, waiting for you to come along."

For the first time, Conrad had hope in his eyes, "Really? Why do you think that?"

"From here, a person would be out of sight from the street, but he or she could have a clear view of the intersection," she explained as she indicated with her arm straight in front of her at the view of outside the alley, "It would be so easy for him or her to just run out at an opportune time and push you out to the street, into oncoming traffic."

He had a satisfied look, "Wow, Amanda, I couldn't convince the police to come out here, but who needs them when I have YOU to investigate!" He then tilted his head, "They would have _never_ been able to figure it all out like you just did!"

"It's all common sense, really," she said modestly. Then she thought of something else. "Let me ask you this, Connie," Amanda asked, "You pass this way every day at the same time; is that correct?"

"Yeah, sure," Conrad pointed to the street restaurant across the way, "I usually have my breakfast over there at that coffee shop before I go to work. I usually go there around same time during the weekdays. Nine AM."

"You're a creature of habit, then," Amanda knowingly nodded, "I think the killer already had that figured out."

Conrad viewed Amanda with reverence, "You are sooo amazing, Amanda!"

She smiled and did that little jerk of her head, "Well, I wouldn't say THAT, Connie..." then her face darkened as she looked at the crate again, "still, there are several things that don't make sense to me."

He looked questionably at her, "Like what?"

"If the killer knows your schedule, why would the killer need a crate to sit on? He or she could have arrived just before you did, since you seem to pass this way approximately the same time every morning. Why didn't the person just stand? Or lean?"

"I-I don't know," Connie told her, "Is any of what you said really that important?"

"Could be. And another thing," she added, "why did that person pick _yesterday_ to push you?" she wondered, "Why not last week? or tomorrow?"

Conrad looked slightly offended, "Gee, I don't know, but would it have been better if the person had tried to kill me tomorrow instead?"

"No, that's not the point," Amanda sighed as she bit her lower lip in deep thought before she turned back to him, "Did anything _strange _happen these last few mornings, Connie? Did you witness anything unusual?"

He shook his head, "No, nothing, Amanda. It's the same path, the same breakfast place, the same routine as any other morning. Nothing different."

Amanda was stumped. It _had_ to have been something recently that happened. If someone was trying to kill Conrad, maybe the killer picked yesterday for a reason.

"Connie, you may have kept your usual schedule. But in _addition_ to that, did you go anywhere else these last three days _besides_ the coffee shop, before you went to work?"

He shrugged, "No...no..I didn't," but as he thought about it, he then looked at her in excitement, "Wait! wait! Amanda! I DID go somewhere else after having breakfast and before work!"

She appeared just as excited, "You _did_? Where?"

His eyes danced, "The flower shop!"

That didn't sound very diabolical at all. She swallowed her disappointment, "The _flower _shop?"

"Yeah, three days ago," Conrad told her, "But nothing unusual happened there, either."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to go there?" Amanda wondered, "were you buying some flowers for a date?"

He looked down sheepishly, "I don't have anyone special, Amanda. She could never hold a candle to you."

_Oh Conrad._ He really was a dear man, but Amanda didn't see him in a romantic way at all. What she was looking for in a man is...

No, she would not go there.

"Now, Conrad, listen very carefully," she instructed him as she lightly touched his arm, "You know, you'll always be special in my heart," she assured him, "but I was asking about you purchasing flowers in hopes that it might help us in our investigation."

"Oh!" his face turned red, "Of course that's why you would ask about the flowers! I'll happily explain to you why I went to the flower shop. You see, I have a standing order there to have flowers delivered to my mom on her birthday, which would be on May 15th," he explained, "so I just went there to make sure they would deliver them. Everything was verified, so I left. It took less than five minutes. That's it. Just a flower shop. Nothing out of the ordinary happened there."

"It still a place that we should check out," Amanda told him.

She didn't want to add that she had already run out of options as to how to proceed.

"Oh, I don't mind going back there," he enthused, "I mean, the flower shop manager _was _really nice."

"I'm sure she was very nice to you, Connie, and I'm not saying she is involved in anything bad," Amanda assured him, "but what I've learned is that we need to check anything out of the norm. Sometimes the smallest of details gives us the biggest of solutions."

"Oh, Amanda, you're brilliant!" he looked at her with new admiration, "and that's also why you were voted smartest in our class!"

Amanda blushed.

"That was many years ago, Connie."

"Well, it still holds true today!"

"I don't know if I'm the smartest, but I'd like to think I'm the most determined," she said, wishing other people would think of her this highly. The image of Lee popped up again.

_Where was he?_

"Anyway," she said, focusing on her mission, "I think the flower shop is the next place we need to visit tomorrow!"

He smiled, "I'm with you, Amanda!"

.

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_Please review_

_Yes, Lee will make an appearance next chapter!_


	6. Chapter 6

Lee's Assignment

Chapter 6

The next day, Lee felt he was rushing back to the Agency.

He tried to tell himself it was because he was a dedicated spy; that work was all he thought about. Yet, why was it that when he was actually on an extremely important mission abroad, all he wanted to do was leave?

After all, it wasn't as if he had someone waiting for him back here, he thought as he quickened his pace down the hallway of the Agency. He quickly made a left into the bullpen, his smile wide as he entered it for the first time since he left for his mission.

Until he saw the empty desk of Amanda.

He stood there, staring at it.

All his hopes were dashed. He was so used to Amanda being here, being available at a drop of a hat to do an assignment with him. It was disconcerting to see her desk unoccupied.

Billy suddenly appeared at the doorway of his office, "Scarecrow, I'd like a word with you in my office."

Lee's head had turned towards Billy's voice, but his eyes was still focused on Amanda's desk.

Maybe she was out on an errand, he thought. Then he remembered that Barnhill had visited her yesterday. Were they _still_ out together? Why?

He entered Billy's office.

"Welcome back, Lee, and congratulations. You've done an excellent job on your mission in Paris."

Billy seemed to be in an especially good mood as the two of them were seated in his office. But of course he would be. Lee had been successful in breaking up an important covert terrorist group. For now at least, the continent of Europe was safe.

"Thanks, Billy," Lee responded, "I really appreciated the extra two days off you gave me, too."

Billy smiled playfully, "_I figured you would_! And I'm sure you've made the best use of your free time by spending it with some pretty Mademoiselle..." he added, with an especially mischievous smirk on his face.

_Oh, Billy certainly knows him!_

"No one worth mentioning," Lee commented nonchalantly, "Anyway...what's on the agenda for me, today, Billy?" he asked, purposely changing the subject quickly.

_So what's this?_ Billy lifted an eyebrow.

_It wasn't lost on him that Lee chose to be vague with their usual playful banter. The old Lee would have followed up with a snide comment. But that was P.A.K: pre-Amanda King._

_Yup, Billy secretly thought to himself. From his point of view, Lee's life seemed to be organized into two different time periods: pre-Amanda and post-Amanda._

_It's the latter where Lee seemed to have changed the most...and for the better, too. Whatever was happening between them, Amanda was definitely a good influence on him. Lee now appears calmer. He also makes better choices, too, though Lee would never admit it. The effect a simple suburban housewife could have on his top spy was simply astounding._

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Lee burst into Billy's thoughts.

Billy cleared his throat and opened the file.

"We've had a bit of a problem that I need you to look into," Billy said, his tone now solemn, "There's a flower shop in the center of town that we use as a front for the Agency. We've run some of our covert operations out of there due to its convenient location... "

He paused in his explanation. He saw Lee stand up and impatiently look out the window of the office, his hands stuffed in his pockets with a pensive expression on his face. If Billy didn't know any better, he would swear that Lee was observing Amanda's empty desk.

"She won't be back today. Or even the next day, " Billy informed Lee. And then to make it perfectly clear, he added, "I'm speaking of Amanda, of course."

At first Lee could not hide his emotions, "Really?" then he purposely forced himself to look nonchalant, "Everything is alright with her, isn't it?"

"Oh yes, of course," Billy assured him, "she called earlier today to ask for the rest of the week off. Claimed she'll be busy entertaining an out of town friend."

Lee recalled the cozy scene he had witnessed earlier between her and Barnhill.

"Oh_, I BET she's busy entertaining_!" he sarcastically murmured under his breath.

He let out a guffaw and did not even realize he was looking out the window again, this time with his jaw clenched.

Lee's reaction to the news didn't escape Billy's notice.

"Lee?"

"Hmm?" Lee quickly turned back to Billy, "What?" he was really coming off very discombobulated.

"Your next mission?" Billy reminded him, "I was just about to explain your part in it. Unless there's something else you'd like to discuss. Or someone else."

"What? No! Of course not!" Lee forced himself to look away from the window and give Billy his full attention, "Sorry, Billy, I guess I'm suffering from a bit of jet lag..."

"_Jet lag_ causes you to look out of office windows?" Billy questioned.

He was letting Lee know he wasn't buying it. Lee figured the best thing he could do is get back to talking about the mission.

"As you were saying..." Lee said, "there's a flower shop the Agency has been using as a dummy front, right? What else do I need to know?"

Billy gave a half smile.

It didn't take a genius to see why Lee was so distracted; he obviously missed Amanda. And then judging by the listless way Amanda had been working in the office this past week, she probably missed Lee, too.

_Well, Billy Melrose wasn't in the matchmaking business! His job was to use agents as they were needed!_

"Yes, the flower shop" Billy informed him, "it's a real flower shop, but our agents have recently been using as a stakeout. There's a dry cleaners business located across the street we were closely monitoring. We had long suspected Romanian spies of using that business as a bridge for drug trafficking between the U.S. and their mother country. We had only been doing surveillance on that place for less than a week, when two days ago, the manager of the flower shop was found murdered inside her shop."

Lee furrowed his brow as he addressed Billy.

"So you suspect these Romanian spies of murdering the flower shop manager?" he asked.

"I don't like to think so, but it's a possibility," Billy told him, "therefore, as a matter of precaution, we'd immediately withdrew our agents and closed down the shop until we find out the cause of her murder."

Lee shook his head over the tragic events.

"So the manager who was murdered...was she one of us? Was she an agent?" Lee asked.

"No, oh no, definitely a civilian," Billy told him as his face filled with sorrow, "we had convinced her that she was being a great American patriot by allowing us access to her place of business. Plus we promised to pay for half a month's rent to compensate her for the inconvenience. We'd made it almost impossible for her to refuse. I can't tell you how much I want to believe that the Agency was NOT the reason she had been killed."

Lee had a scowl on his face, "but if the victim wasn't part of the Agency, " he reasoned, "then isn't her murder a police matter?"

"If only it were that simple," Billy explained "of course the police is involved, which only complicates matters. We certainly don't want to involve the police in our covert operations and I'm afraid this murder could very well _be_ related to our people. Maybe the Romanians are trying to send a message to us. Or maybe Jean Sutton, the murdered manager, was secretly involved with the them, acting as a double agent. However, my gut feeling tells me that she was an innocent victim. I just hope she wasn't a victim who got caught in an international crossfire."

"Even if it _was_ just another tragic, random act of violence, the results are the same," Lee said glumly.

"True," Billy agreed, "but we never want to be the cause of a civilian's death and at this point, we just don't know, we don't have the answers."

"So you want me to find out," Lee declared.

"Yes. And of course, I don't need to tell you that this won't be considered an official investigation," Billy warned him, "we haven't notified anyone outside of the Agency that we are looking into the murder. So in addition to keeping away from the Romanians, you need to fly under the police radar, too."

Lee didn't seem bothered by that, "and you want me to investigate by first looking for clues at the flower shop."

Billy nodded.

"By now, the crime scene has been cleaned up and the police have left the premise to file their reports," he said, "I think the flower shop is the next place you need to visit," he concurred, eerily echoing Amanda's last words to Conrad almost verbatim.

"Consider it done," Lee said.

.

_"The Enchanted Florist"_ flower shop did not quite live up to its name.

The front-window establishment was located in a strip mall, along with three other shops. It had been closed for three days, ever since the murder. Even the agents who had been doing surveillance were sent home, the locale having been compromised. If anything, the name of the shop should be _The Abandoned Florist._

Sawhorse style stands blocked the entrance to the shop with signs posted to 'Keep Out', letting the public know they were not allowed inside. Of course, to Lee, that never applied to spies, especially him. He was about to reach to open the door, when he noticed something unexpected and his hand paused. The door was slightly ajar, possibly meaning someone else was unexpectedly in there.

Taking out his gun and pointing the nozzle up in the air, he cautiously pushed the door open. The door, unfortunately, squeaked. Now leading with his gun, he entered without turning on the lights, the scents of various flowers immediately assailing his senses.

It took mere seconds for his eyes to adjust to the semi-darkened room. He looked around for anything that could look suspicious. There was a refrigerated cooler off to the side, filled with shelves of various floral arrangements. On the sales floor were white buckets of flowers, organized according to their color and types.

Lee took very quiet steps, looking around cautiously. There seemed to be no sign of anyone here and he was about to holster his gun when he heard a sneeze. Then another.

Someone...or more than one someone...was here.

Lee immediately drew out his gun, "_I've got the place surrounded!_" he growled out, "_Come on out, with your hands up!"__  
_

From behind the counter, he immediately saw two pair of hands come up, one which looked masculine, and the other feminine.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" a somewhat familiar male voice yelled out, "my only crime is being allergic to carnations!"

Lee paused to think.

_Where did he know that voice from?_

The two pairs of hands began to rise slowly from the counter, causing Lee to concentrate back on the two suspects.

"That's right..._real_ nice and slow!" he warned them.

With their hands still up in the air, Conrad and Amanda rose from behind the counter. Lee was stunned. He first focused on Conrad. _Barnhill!_ Of course, _that_ was why the voice sounded so familiar! Lee mused, BUT if Barnhill is here, it ALSO means...he turned and focused intently on Amanda's astonished face.

It had been two weeks since the last time he had seen her and his heart lurched while she blinked in a spasm of astonishment at his presence.

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Please review


	7. Chapter 7

The Meet up

Chapter 7

So Lee had been assigned to _The Enchanted Florist_ flower shop to discover why the manager, Jean Sutton had been murdered. Instead he found himself pointing a gun at Conrad Barnhill and Amanda when they revealed themselves to him from behind the counter.

Amanda looked as surprised to see Lee as he was to see her.

"Lee?" she questioned, looking perplexed as she and Conrad slowly brought their hands down and Lee had no choice but to shoulder his gun.

"Amanda, what are you _doing_ here?" he asked as he stepped up to them, "the police had this place sealed tight. You have no authorization to be here!"

Amanda was watching Lee's every move as he approached them. She couldn't seem to concentrate on his words. Just hearing his ever pleasant low voice sounded like heaven to her. She forced herself to turn and look over at Conrad, who seemed as frightened as ever. It would not do to frighten Connie.

She cleared her throat. Outwardly, she was cool and collected, but underneath, her heart was beating rapidly at Lee's presence.

"I could say the same for you, Lee," Amanda challenged him. "the police HAD sealed this place tight. So what are you doing here?"

"I asked first," Lee challenged, with a professional tone.

"I asked second," she told him, "and the number 2 is bigger than 1."

Lee looked confused, "That doesn't even make sense!"

Conrad suddenly stepped forward.

"H-hello, Mr. Stetson," he interjected, nervously, "Remember me? I'm Conrad...Conrad Barnhill...um, if you recall, we did that mission together over in London...well, not a mission _together_...we were on opposite sides..._but,_ nevertheless we were in the same room together..."

Lee hated the distraction as he looked impatiently at Conrad.

"Of course I remember you, Barnhill!" he snapped.

"Lee!" Amanda interrupted, "Connie's on our side! No reason to be rude!"

"Rude?" he looked incredulous, "I'm _never_ rude!"

Amanda stared him down, "Then what do you call pointing a gun at him? And at me?"

Secretly Lee had thought his reunion with Amanda would be a happy one, but instead here she was berating him, like...like he was a child!

Well, he'll show her that he could be a professional agent!

So ignoring her, he feigned a smile at Conrad.

"R_iiight_, of course, Conrad Barnhill," Lee politely acknowledged.

Then he diplomatically held out his hand. Conrad stared at it.

"You're not going to slap me with that hand, are you?" Conrad asked hesitantly.

_Yup,_ Lee thought to himself, _it definitely was Conrad Barnhill and he hadn't changed a bit._

"Not unless you pull out a fake gun on me _again,_" Lee straight-faced him, reminding Conrad that he had once pretended to be holding Amanda hostage while pointing an unloaded gun at Lee.

"So you DO remember me!" Conrad looked pleased as he then bravely shook Lee's hand.

Lee's eyes then wandered back to Amanda and his eyes softened, causing Amanda to quiet the thumping of her heart. Oh myyy, Amanda thought, trying to breathe again. She had truly missed him. And now standing before her, he seemed taller, more handsome, more dangerous than she remembered.

"So..." Amanda attempted small talk, "I see you're back from your mission, Lee..."

"I _am_," he stated, his green eyes ensnared hers with a steady gaze, "I just got back from my mission in Paris."

"Paris, eh?" Conrad said, sounding enthused, "Of course you would be over there! That's a typical _spy_ locale! There's a lot of mysterious intrigue that happens over there, I bet."

Lee had forgotten about Conrad for a second and now turned to him, "Yeah, I suppose you could word it that way."

"Was your mission successful?" Amanda asked pleasantly, seeming to want his attention back, "Did you enjoy your time in Paris?"

A slow smile appeared on Lee's lips which made Amanda sway a little.

"Yes, I did, Amanda; the city was lovely over there," he had a faraway look, "although it rained a bit over there. Even so, I'm glad to be back."

And though the conversation was light, the underlying tension of attraction between Lee and Amanda was palpable.

As he spoke, she looked at him with almost a dreamlike look. Lee had a way of causing sensations to riot within her. His presence gave goose-bumps down her back. While he had been away, she had missed this feeling of excitement, of not knowing what was around the corner. Of not seeing him.

Lee was still trying to overcome the confusion he felt upon seeing her. But mixed in there was a feeling of joy She always gave off an aura of happiness with her optimistic smile and positive demeanor. But it was her eyes, yes, her eyes. They were extraordinary. Almond shaped, intelligent, warm and so very compassionate. As he watched her, each breath he seemed to take in scorched his lungs. He was surprised by his reaction to her and he was bothered by it as well.

"I've always liked Paris, too," enthused Conrad, unaware of the tension, "over there the street lamps are fancy and the French seem to have a different word for _everything!_"

Both Amanda and Lee gave Conrad puzzled looks. But at least he managed to bring both of them back to the present.

"Well, now," Lee tried to sound very businesslike "what are you two doing here?" he addressed them both, but he was looking at Amanda.

"You first," Amanda challenged again, with stiff-backed dignity.

Lee gave a lazy smile, which made Amanda want to melt into a puddle.

"Al_right,_ I suppose I _will _go first, "he volunteered, "and although I can't go into specifics, what I _can_ tell you is that I'm investigating the murder of the shop manager of this flower shop."

"So THAT'S why there was all this police stuff around!" Conrad realized. Then his eyes looked scared, "oh wow, a _mur-der!_"

"But why are YOU investigating that murder?" Amanda asked Lee, "Was the shop manager working for the Agency?"

"Amanda, you know I can't answer that, especially in front of a civilian," Lee head-gestured over to Conrad, "but I've already said more than necessary... What about you two? The shop is closed so obviously you're _not_ here to buy flowers."

"No," Conrad said, "we were trying to find out who almost ran me over."

Lee gave a 'huh?' look

"You've lost me after the word, 'no'," he told him.

"I think I can explain it," Amanda piped in, "You see, every morning, Conrad walks this way to work. So yesterday someone purposely pushed him into the street just as a vehicle was coming by!"

"A truck," Conrad corrected, "...and a big, ominous one at that!"

"So THAT'S why you think someone is trying to kill you? " Lee looked doubtful, "That's a pretty weak assumption, isn't it?" he asked Conrad, as if it were hard to fathom the idea that someone wanted Barnhill dead, "it could be that someone just accidentally bumped into you."

Conrad drew himself up taller, "Well, _Amanda_ thinks there's a strong possibility of attempted murder! She even saw skid marks!"

"Skid marks?" Lee still looked unconvinced, "welllll, that says it all, doesn't it?" he asked rhetorically sarcastic. Then after thinking about it, he added, "but what does this have to do with the murder in this flower shop anyway?"

"Actually we didn't know someone was even murdered in here," Conrad told him..

"But you saw the police signs outside that said to keep out," Lee said.

"That's true, Mr. Stetson," Conrad agreed," but we figured the police may have closed this place down for a violation. Or maybe a robbery had occurred. We never thought it was for a _murder_."

"The bloodstains on the ground didn't give it away?" Lee asked sarcastically.

"Oh, _Lee_; we weren't going to stay long; just have a quick look around," Amanda inserted quickly, "I mean, it's not as if we were here to steal a bouquet of mums or anything! We just wanted to see if there were any clues as to why someone would want to shove Conrad into ongoing traffic!"

"And checking out a flower shop would answer certainly _that_ question," Lee stated wryly.

Conrad took that statement as serious, "So far, _no_, but we've only started."

"Hmmm...a flower shop proving a person was almost run over by a truck," Lee deadpanned, "You know, from anyone else, the idea sounds ridiculous, but coming from you two...it ALMOST makes sense!"

"It's actually very simple, Lee," Amanda explained, " every day Connie has a regular morning routine, but three days ago, he had deviated from his regular routine when he dropped by this flower shop, so I thought to myself that _maybe_ this flower shop is the key as to why someone was after him.'"

"...I'm hoping it's all a misunderstanding, because, really," Conrad's look was incredulous, "why would someone be after me? I'm a nobody."

"_Conrad Barnhill_," Amanda lightly lectured him, "I've told you before and I'll tell you again... you ARE somebody," she paused slightly, "We just don't want you to be that _somebody_ who _someone_ wants to kill!"

"Oh, thank you, Amanda, for saying that" he smiled, somehow feeling better.

Lee watched the interaction and felt a strange knot in his stomach. Conrad was looking at Amanda like she could open up the heavens.

Yes, she was great at making a person feel better, but why couldn't Conrad see how infuriating she could be? So what if she was kind and helpful? Couldn't he see that other side of her? That she never listens? That she's stubborn as a mule? And worse, that she is too nosy, sticking herself into situations despite him telling her to stay out of it because she is so...so...he didn't know how to complete the thought but,_ wonderful at caring _was the first thing that came_ to_ mind.

"Well," Amanda suggested, "Seeing as we're here together, we might as well work together."

Lee shook his head vigorously.

"Oh noooo we won't!" he disagreed, "We may all be at the same place at the same time, but we are **_not_** working together! I am here on a mission here, while the two of you are on...hell, I don't even know what to call it, but both of you are on it!"

"But you know the old saying, Lee..." Amanda tried to sound upbeat, "Three heads are better than one!"

"...Only a three-headed monster believes that!" Lee snapped.

Immediately he felt bad, knowing that Amanda would be thinking he was being grumpy and stubborn, and he hated that she thought that.

He purposely took a calming breath.

"Look," he said evenly to both Amanda and Conrad, "I didn't mean that, sorry."

He couldn't look at her, but she gave him a grateful smile anyway.

Conrad looked hopeful at Lee, "So does that mean we can work together then?"

"Noo!" Lee immediately answered but then tempered it with, "that is, I have my _own_ investigative work to do!"

He looked at Amanda with a look that seemed to want to mind-control her to understand. She stared back at him and suddenly their eyes locked.

They couldn't take their eyes off one another.

Conrad studied both of them thoughtfully, "Am I missing something? Is there something going on between you two?"

Lee and Amanda exchanged surprised looks.

"No!" they responded in shocked unison, as they turned away from each other, and walked away in opposite directions.

"I'm going to check the counter," Lee announced immediately, turning and heading that way.

"I'll go check a different room," Amanda declared just as quickly. as she headed the other way.

.

Lee was looking through all the paperwork at the main counter.

Jean Sutton, the manager, had been murdered three days ago at night. It had been done after working hours, when the Agency people had already left. She had been stabbed multiple times in the chest and stomach with a small, sharp instrument, possibly an ice pick or sharp letter opener.

A few droplets of blood on the floor was the only clue that something tragic had occurred here.

Besides that, there wasn't much to look at in the shop. There was a log book of deliveries, a phone with pad, and an index box filled with clients' addresses and phone numbers. He looked through the log book. Nothing jumped out at him. Amanda and Conrad had gone on to investigate the other back room.

He then picked up a picture. It was of a man holding Jean Sutton in his arms and they were smiling happily at the camera. Obviously the man must have been a boyfriend or husband.

From behind him came Conrad's voice, "What are you looking at, Mr. Stetson?"

"I work alone, remember?" Lee shot back, still in a bad mood. He knew it wasn't Conrad's fault, but still...there was a feeling that Conrad was keeping Lee from enjoying Amanda's company.

Conrad stared at the picture, "They look so happy together," he said, referring to the picture of Ms. Sutton and boyfriend, "I only wished I had a picture like that taken with someone I loved. What about you, Mr. Stetson? You have a picture of you with someone special?"

Lee wanted to ignore the question, but sadly he also knew he really didn't have a loving picture of himself posed with someone special. Only one with Billy and him.

"It's only a picture," Lee mumbled back, quickly putting the picture back.

For a split second, Lee's expression turned sad. He was thinking: if anything happened to him in the future, who would be there for him? Who would care? Would there be someone to mourn his death, memorialize him in a speech where he would be described as a person with a good heart, or would the eulogy consists of what a great agent he had been? Now looking at the picture of Jean Sutton again, he felt it was important to find the killer. For Jean Sutton had someone in her life and she would surely be missed.

"Leeeee!" Amanda's voice sounded loud and clear as she called from another room, "Lee! _In here!"_

Lee's head immediately shot up and quickly putting the picture down, he rushed to the back, with Conrad close behind him.

_"**A-man-da!**" _Lee responded back, letting her know he was coming as quickly as his legs could carry him.

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Please review


	8. Chapter 8

A Discovery

Chapter 8

Still in the flower shop, Lee and Conrad followed Amanda's desperate voice, which seemed to be coming from the back corner of the shop.

Lee dashed to the backroom, but she wasn't there.

He panicked.

"AMANDA!" he shouted out, looking anxiously about.

"LEEEEE!"

Her voice was coming from the next room. He and Conrad quickly ran over to where the bathroom was located.

The room was narrow and cramped and would have made anyone claustrophobic if not for one small opened window high on one of the walls. Lee stopped abruptly at the opening of the room, holding onto the frame of the doorway, which caused Conrad to almost run into him. He gave a relieved sigh when he saw Amanda safely standing in the room, her back to him.

"Amanda, what is it?" Lee frantically called out.

Amanda half-turned and then she pointed.

"Look!" she exclaimed.

She was indicating a towel rack, located just below the small window of the bathroom. It had broken off the wall and was laying on the floor in front of the toilet.

Both Lee and Conrad stepped in further into the room.

"Oh wow! How did a broken towel rack get there!" Conrad exclaimed.

"Good observation, Conrad," Amanda acknowledged, "but that's not the only part to question...look up there!"

Everyone viewed the window directly above which was clearly opened.

"You mean," Conrad assumed, "a big wind suddenly blew the window wide open thus breaking the towel rack?" When he saw how Amanda was shaking her head, he thought it further through.

"Oh! I get it!" he figured out, "The broken towel rack and opened window have to do with the murder!"

Meanwhile Lee had gone in closer to examine the holes in the wall where the towel rack had once been affixed with screws. He then looked up at the small, opened window above.

"You could be right about that, Conrad," Lee said as he next contemplated the opened window.

Amanda solemnly nodded.

"I was thinking, Lee," she told him, "that the killer could have used that small opened window to sneak in, and then had broken the towel rack when he put his foot on it to help himself climb down."

Lee observed the window, which was considered small, but still large enough for a person's body to squeeze through.

"On first look, it would appear that way," Lee responded, "but I don't think that is what had happened here. If the killer had broken this rack on the way _into_ the bathroom, Jean Sutton surely would have heard it and could have easily slipped away through the front door once she heard the noise of the towel rack being broken."

Lee's assessment impressed Conrad, whose eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh wow! Amanda was right when she said you are a brilliant agent, Mr. Stetson! Because you obviously are!" he announced.

Lee stood taller while straightening his jacket, "...Amanda said that about me, eh?"

Conrad nodded vigorously, "Oh yes! She once told me that you were a real _Mr. Know-it-all!_"

Amanda put her hand to her mouth to muffle her laugh. Lee gave her a look.

"Very funny!" he said wryly, "Can we just get back to the investigation, please?"

Amanda tried to put on a serious face, "You're right. We need to figure this out."

"How about this," Conrad considered, "the killer didn't break the towel rack going IN; maybe he broke the towel rack going OUT."

Lee thought that was not a bad idea.

"That's a nice try, Connie," Amanda said nicely, "but I don't think the bad person escaped this way _out_, either."

"Why not?" Conrad asked, curious.

Well..." Amanda said, "because...Jean Sutton would have already dead, so the murderer could leave in whatever manner he wished. He wouldn't have needed to exit awkwardly through the small window. It would have been so much easier for him to use the front door, or better yet, the back door to make his escape."

Lee was actually pleased with Amanda's sensible deduction.

"Then if the towel rack wasn't broken by the killer going IN or OUT," Conrad reasoned, "then how is this all related to the murder?"

Lee sighed, "That's what we need to figure out, but the one thing I DO know is that Jean Sutton _knew_ her killer. According to the file I've read on this murder, there were no signs of a struggle and no defensive wounds on her body. Obviously she didn't know her life was in danger until it was too late. But it's still early in the investigation. I'm sure I'll be able to figure all this out soon enough!"

Again, Conrad looked at him with admiration, "I like how you are always so _sure_ you're going to get the bad guy, Mr. Stetson!"

"Of course," Lee stated, "after all, that _is_ my job."

"And so modest, too!" Amanda teased, "_why,_ down at the Agency, we call him Mr. Modesty!"

Lee didn't skip a beat, "Well, you know _me_; When it comes to humility, _I'm the greatest!"_

It was nice to bring some levity into the situation.

Then Amanda's expression became serious again.

"So there really is a _murderer_ somewhere out there," she breathed out the words cautiously, as she looked covertly about.

"'Fraid so, Amanda," Lee unhappily confirmed.

"So if this is a real murder," Conrad looked fearful, "I don't think this really involves Amanda and me, so maybe we don't need to be here."

"Seems that way," Lee agreed quickly before Amanda could object, "so the two of you are free to leave now since there doesn't seem to be anything here to show that the flower shop is related to Barnhill being pushed onto the street."

"But..." Amanda began.

"There's nothing to discuss, Amanda," Lee interrupted, attempting to rush them out, "let's just head on out so that you and Conrad can continue with your little shoving incident and I'll continue my murder investigation, alright?"

He wasn't giving her much of a choice.

And although Lee grudgingly enjoyed Amanda's company, he really needed to get on with his own investigation. He could relax once the killer was found. Plus he didn't need Amanda and Conrad to distract him.

"Oh, I suppose..." Amanda relented as her shoulders drooped.

The three of them walked back to the main room of the flower shop.

If Conrad didn't know better, it seemed as if Amanda didn't want to leave. He also noted how close Lee and Amanda walked together, with Lee's hand on her back casually guiding her, which was exactly what he had noticed when they had been working together back in London.

Then he recalled sensing there was something going on between the two of them, but how was that possible? Amanda was a nice, naive suburban housewife who only knew the sanctity of Virginia while Lee Stetson was a spy who had probably globe-trotted the entire world and seen everything. Still...

"Well, then," Conrad said, "I guess we'll go now so that Mr. Stetson can proceed with his work."

Amanda shot a rueful glance at Lee. But she had to agree. There was nothing here that indicated a connection between the flower shop and Conrad's attempted car almost-accident.

Except they were connected by the word _murder._

"Actually, Conrad," she paused, "don't you think it's rather coincidental that someone had attempted _murder_ on you and then a _murder_ actually occurred at a place you had recently visited?"

Conrad looked nervous, "I don't want to think about it like that. It'll just make me feel worse."

Amanda nodded as if she understood. Maybe this was too much for someone of Conrad's disposition to take all in one day.

"Alright, Connie, we'll leave then," she promised then gave one last look at Lee, "but before I do," she paused to look at Lee, "Could I have a quick talk with you, Lee...in _private?"_

"You need to talk with me?" Lee asked, pointing to himself.

"Just for a second," Amanda promised.

So much for leading them out the door. But she did say for just a second.

Which meant a few minutes.

But the idea of being alone with Amanda wasn't entirely...unwelcome.

"Alright, I suppose..." Lee decided, "you don't mind, do you, Barnhill?"

"Oh, uh, no, of course not, Mr. Stetson," Conrad responded, with an anxious smile, "I'll go out and wait in the car..." he peered over at Amanda, "you won't take long, will you, Amanda?"

She gave him a bright smile, "Of course I won't, Connie, I'll be right out...and don't forget, Mother wants you to join her and the boys for dinner!"

Conrad's face lit up, "Oh, that's right! I'm really looking forward to that!"

Since she had been looking at Conrad, she missed the scowl Lee had made upon hearing about the dinner invitation. He managed to quickly cover it up.

Conrad gave Lee a force smile, "Goodbye, Mr. Stetson."

Lee half smiled, "It was ni-...a _surprise_ seeing you again, Barnhill. Although, once again, we don't meet in the best of circumstances."

Conrad nodded, "but at least this time, we're on the same side."

"Yeah," Lee acknowledged, "_this_ time, " and then Conrad was gone.

At last Lee and Amanda were alone.

Usually it was not difficult for either one to carry on a conversation with the other. There was always something to say to the other. If they weren't discussing a case, they would either be bantering, talking or arguing with the other. But now, because of being separated for a time, working on different agendas, and having Conrad in the mix, everything felt...awkward.

"So..." Lee said, at last, "Connie will be joining your family for dinner tonight?"

Even to Lee's ears, he sounded a level just below jealousy.

Amanda did her little head jerk, "Well...it was more _Mother's_ idea than mine. Not that I mind ...besides, the boys haven't seen a male guest in the house since Dean and I..."

Amanda's eyes got large when she realized she had said too much.

"Since you and Dean _what_? " Lee curiously asked. Then he paused to consider, "I've just realized that you rarely mention your boyfriend anymore, Amanda. Is he still..."

"It just didn't work out." she said determinedly, her voice having a finality to it.

"Oh,." One side of Lee's face twitched as he cleared his throat, "I'm, uh, sorry to hear that."

"It's fine," she assured him, "_we're_ fine."

"Good," he said, trying to keep his voice even, "I mean, not GOOD that you two broke up; after all, a breakup is _never_ good, but..." he tried again, "anyway...s_ooo_...you had stated you wanted to talk to me about something?"

He guardedly watched her; riveted by the delicacy of her face. He hadn't noticed that before although he had imagined her face a dozen times during his time in Paris. He wanted to tell her how much he had missed her, but he was right in the middle of an investigation and Amanda had Conrad waiting in the car for her.

She took in a calming breath before she answered him, "Actually, Lee, what I wanted to talk to you about is Connie."

Lee knew he wasn't going to like it if it concerned Barnhill.

"What about him?"

Amanda spoke quickly, "The thing is, he's just arrived in town and his job is new. He has been staying in motel, and I'm pretty sure the place must be really dumpy looking. So I just thought...maybe, just _maybe._. he could stay with _you,_" she spoke even quicker when she saw Lee's reaction, "but _not for long,_ not for long _at all_...just until he finds his own place. Of course, it takes time to find a place to call home, doesn't it? Why, I remembered when I..."

"Amanda... _stop_..." Lee interrupted, "you want Conrad and me to become _roommates?_" he looked incredulously at her.

Amanda could see Lee was not taking the suggestion well.

"No, not roommates, really," she tried to appease him, "Connie would be more like a _visitor_ ...except that it will be _for an unspecified amount of time_." She rushed through the last part.

"Why can't _you _accommodate Barnhill?" Lee asked, "After all, your place is definitely bigger than mine."

"Welll," Amanda looked slightly embarrassed, "it...just wouldn't look right, a man staying at my house...with my boys there and all, and then there's mother, so I just couldn't!..." when she looked Lee, her eyes were pleading, "so, what do you say, Lee? I'm sure Connie will not be a bother at all."

"Sorry," Lee held firm, "not possible for me, either."

Amanda should have known better.

"Oh...sure...I...I understand..." she stated quietly, not putting up a fuss.

He almost wished she had, then he would be glad to have turned her down.

_Damn, _Lee had expected some type of protest, _why did she have to sound so understanding?_ Lee rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture he did often when he felt frustrated.

"Amanda, you know I would do almost anything for you," he regretted the words immediately, although Amanda looked pleasantly surprised at his admission, "well, not _anything _for you...I, uh might do _some_ things for you...and I'm not even sure it would be a _majority_ of things, but...but, that's neither here nor there..._anyway_...Barnhill would...well,...he would um, cramp my style..."

"Oh." Amanda's cheeks looked flushed and Lee found himself unable to look at her, "you mean, with the ladies." She seemed to whisper the last part.

"Yes...no! I mean, I didn't mean it that way!" Lee insisted.

And he honestly didn't. It wasn't as if he were seeing a lot of women, or any for that matter, at least not lately. And it wasn't a slump, really. It was just that he didn't have the desire for now. However, if he ever decided to start going out again...

He watched as Amanda gave her acknowledgement.

"I hadn't thought about ...I forgot that you like to... oh, never mind," Amanda plastered a cheery smile on her face, as if she hadn't a care in the world, "that's fine, Lee. Don't worry about Connie. He'll be fine."

"I'm sorry, Amanda..." Lee couldn't believe he was saying the words, "but actually, staying at a motel won't be so bad for Barnhill, at least-"

He was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the outside, like the sound of a car crashing into something stationary.

SCREEEEEECH! BAM!

A deafening sound like _that_ was never a good sign.

Lee and Amanda both turned their heads outside with alarmed expressions, and then they exclaimed in unison to one another.

"CONNIE!" Amanda yelled out in alarm.

"BARNHILL!" Lee shouted at the same time as they both rushed out.

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	9. Chapter 9

A Decision

Chapter 9

At the sound of a car loudly skidding and crashing into something outside, Lee and Amanda both rushed out of the shop.

As they dashed outside, it was obvious something horrendous had occurred. In one area of the street, a group of people were huddled around in a circle, presumably clustered around a fallen body.

"Oh my gosh! CONNIE!" Amanda screamed out as she rushed forward.

Lee instinctively reacted by grabbing onto Amanda waist to hold her back.

"Amanda, NO!" he commanded, holding firm.

"Lee! What are you doing!? That's CONNIE!" Amanda yelled, as she began to struggle, frustrated tears leaping to surface of her eyes.

But Lee held on tight to her, "If that's him, Amanda, you don't want to remember him that way!"

She stubbornly refused to hear him.

"LET GO OF ME, LEE!" she insisted, "CONNIE MAY NEED ME!"

Lee rarely heard such desperation in her voice. There would be no use to talking sense to her. And because he held her in such high regard, he let loose his arm around her waist. Immediately she pushed forward until she heard a voice calling her back.

"AMANDA! STOP! IT'S ME, CONNIE!" Conrad's voice came from behind her, "I'M HERE!"

Amanda halted and twirled around. Sure enough, it _was_ Connie, and total relief washed over her face. Even Lee looked relieved to see Conrad.

"Ohhhhhh! Connie! You're alright!" she reached out and gave him a full-out hug.

"Oooof!" Conrad made a sound at how hard of a squeeze Amanda was giving him.

"I was so SCARED!" she explained, holding on tight, "I'm glad you're alright! You mean so much to me!"

All Conrad could do was blurt out a confused, "Uh, thank you(?)"

Meanwhile, Lee watched their little scene of happiness with thinned lips. It was so easy for her to reach out to Barnhill, to show her emotions, to physically hug him, he thought miserably. He shook his head to himself to get rid of that last thought. Nope, _he _never craved emotional feelings from her, he convinced himself; in fact, that is the LAST thing he needed in his life!

Still, he and Amanda had certainly had shared some special moments between them. But they were always short-lived. And it would usually end up with him brushing them aside with an embarrassed laugh.

Their embrace ended.

"That's so nice that you care, Amanda," Conrad told her.

Lee almost snorted. _Who needs someone who over-cares like Amanda?_ he thought, wondering why he felt so miserable.

"...but Connie," Amanda pondered, "if you are safe here with _me,_" she then head gestured, "then who is the person who got hit by the car way over _there_?"

"Someone got hit by a car?" Conrad inquired, "I didn't know that, Amanda. I was sitting in your car, looking the other way, when I heard a car screeching and then a thud. And when I heard that, that's when I REALLY looked the other way!"

_Someone got hit by a car._ The words brought Lee back to reality. This was his field of expertise. Maybe he could be of some help.

"You two stay here," he instructed them, "I'm going to go investigate."

Lee left Conrad and Amanda and headed towards the circle of people. It would be difficult to part them to see what caught their attention. He tried to sound as official as possible.

"Investigator here; Let me through, let me though," he stated, forcing his way as the people parted to let him through.

Working his way to the middle of the crowd, Lee knelt down next to the sprawled female body in the middle of the street. It was obvious she had been hit hard by the vehicle. Her body was awkwardly contorted as she lay on the hard street pavement.

He let out a frustrated moan; it was too late.

There was nothing he could do for her.

The poor woman had died on impact.

At the sounds of sirens, Lee turned to look behind him. The police car was approaching fast with the ambulance van close behind. Lee knew he didn't have much time. The woman's purse was laying next to her.

He reached over, opened the dead woman's pocketbook and removed her wallet. Kathy Brown. Her name didn't mean anything, but a business card sticking out of the credit card slot caught his eye.

The business card read "_The Enchanted Florist"._

The police were now instructing people to step back as they went about their work in establishing this a crime scene. By then, Lee had already put the purse back to where it had last been flung, although he kept the business card.

Standing up, he then quickly left the crowd to join Amanda and Conrad again. To him, it was a little too coincidental that there was another hit-and-run accident so close to the same location where originally Barnhill had almost been hit.

Amanda's eyes were round and wondering as Lee approached her.

"Lee, " she questioned, "is the person...?"

Lee shook his head ruefully, "she didn't make it, Amanda."

"Oh...gosh..." Amanda dropped her head, "That's awfully sad. What kind of person would just crash into a person with their car and just speed off?"

"A heartless person," Lee responded, "maybe even a person who wanted her dead."

Amanda and Conrad both looked stunned.

"So you think she could have been pushed...like Connie?" Amanda inquired.

"The way I see it," Lee explained, "this so-called 'accident' had the same M.O. and location as Barnhill's accident. Not only that, I found a card advertising _The Enchanted Florist_, so there's a stronger possibility that this hit and run could be connected to not only Barnhill, but to the murder in the flower shop as well."

"_Wow_," Barnhill murmured in dread.

"Oh dear!" Amanda looked concerned.

"I hate to admit it," Lee concluded, "but I think you two may be right after all; Barnhill's life could be in danger."

"I agree...," Amanda said, as she turned to Conrad, "that's why I think, Connie, that it's best you don't stay in a motel all by yourself. Didn't you say you have a mother nearby? Perhaps you could stay with her."

Conrad looked sullen, "I don't think my mom could protect me. At least, not in this instance. Plus, I don't want to put her in danger. She would get so mad at me."

"Oh, gee, I didn't even think of that," Amanda said.

She suddenly grabbed Conrad's arm.

"Then, Connie," she decided, "you're coming home with me!"

"Oh wow, really, Amanda?" Conrad asked him, "but I thought-"

"I won't hear any protest from you... I insist!" Amanda said, "You will NOT be made an open target in a seedy motel room!"

But Lee was against it.

"No way should he go home with you, Amanda."

Amanda looked as if she were ready to do battle.

"I will NOT leave Connie to fend for himself, Lee!" she said stubbornly, "I just think-"

But Lee held up his hand in a _'let me speak'_ gesture.

"What I _meant_ to say...Lee began, "...is that Barnhill will be coming home _with me."_

Both of them looked incredulously at Lee.

"I will?" he asked.

"He will?" Amanda questioned.

"It's the only logical choice," Lee said, "Conrad certainly couldn't stay with you, Amanda. It could unnecessarily endanger you and your family. However, if he stayed with me, I would be able to protect him."

Amanda and Conrad seemed in shock.

In fact, so did Lee. He couldn't believe what he just blurted out.

Maybe he needed his head examined.

"That's not necessary," Amanda said stubbornly, as she made a slight tug at Conrad's arm., "Connie will stay with me and my family."

"Didn't you _just_ request in the flower shop that Connie should stay with _me_?" he reminded her.

"Since when did you EVER listen to what I say?" Amanda told him, firmly holding onto to Connie, "anyway, I've changed my mind and it'll be nice to have Connie surrounded by lots of people instead of left alone in a dark apartment."

Here it is, Lee thought; he was given a way out.

He could let Conrad go home with Amanda.

But he couldn't, and he wouldn't.

Lee held onto Conrad's other arm to stop Amanda from pulling him away, "No, that's fine, Amanda. I'm sure Conrad will feel _much_ more comfortable rooming with _me_."

"Need I remind you, Lee. Connie is _my_ friend," Amanda pulled slightly harder, " and besides, we wouldn't want to _cramp your style, _now would we_?"_

Lee held firm and began pulling Conrad from the other end, "But it'll _look_ better if he stayed with me, wouldn't you agree, Amanda?" fired back.

She tugged at Connie's arm, "Let go of him, Lee!"

He pulled back, "No, you let go, Amanda!"

"Stop pulling me! STOP!" Conrad exclaimed indignantly, "_I'm not a piece of taffy!"_

They immediately ceased. He looked at one, then the other. Suddenly he flashed as smile, "Wow! I can't believe the two of you are fighting over _ME!_"

"Why don't we let _Connie_ decide which place he'd rather stay at?" Amanda suggested, as she folded her arms and glared at Lee.

"Fine by me!" Lee stated confidently, "Let's see if he wants to stay at a house full of screaming boys or a nice, quiet bachelor pad!" he looked at Conrad, "What do you say, Barnhill?"

Amanda lifted her head higher.

"That was unfair wording!" she accused Lee, "why don't we ask Connie if he'd rather savor some delicious home cooked meals or dine on some over-salted food served by rude food servers every night..."

"You mean, eating out every night..._at the top eateries,_ " Lee added temptingly, thinking he scored a point for himself.

Amanda wasn't going to let it go, "Pfft! Restaurant food! Nothing tastes better than a meal made with loving care! At my place, he could..."

"Stop, just stop you two!" Conrad interrupted both of them, "I don't understand half of what you two are saying and it's very stressful! And as you know, dealing with stress is not exactly a strong suit of mine!"

"See, look at what you've done, Lee," Amanda accused Lee, "You've got him stressed out!"

"Me? **_I_** certainly didn't do that!" Lee was quick to point out, "he lacks self-confidence because he's been coddled too much, especially lately by you!"

"Coddled?" Amanda stiffly put her hands on her hips, "I do NOT coddle!"

"Yes, you do!" Lee said, "You coddle him..." he was reaching for the right words, "..._as much as milk!_"

"What?" Amanda looked confused before narrowing her eyes, "that's curdle, Lee...milk _curdles!_ And I do NOT curdle OR coddle!"

"Really?" Lee was simmering, "because I certainly have been the victim of your coddling!"

He remembered the various times he had been injured or shot and how lovingly she had cared for him...not _lovingly_ cared for him, but _annoyingly _cared for him, he corrected himself., recalling when she had been a Bedside Blue Bell volunteer.

"If I EVER _coddled_ you," Amanda was also getting heated, "which I doubt that I had, it was because-"

"Stop! STOP! Or I swear...I'll...I'll stay at the sleazy Bates Motel!" Conrad claimed, looking back and forth between the two.

That calmed Lee and Amanda down.

"Look..." Lee tried to sound logical, "we can't stand out here on the sidewalk like this discussing 'coddling' of all things! A decision needs to be made as to where Barnhill will go."

"I agree," Amanda said, quite determined, "so we'll settle it the diplomatic way."

Lee questionably lifted a brow, "Which is?"

"The same way I do it with my boys," Amanda asked, "we'll flip a coin_..."_

"_You've got to__ be kidding, Amanda_!" Lee exclaimed, not believing he was wasting his time like this.

"Well, we could either do THAT, _or _we drive him back to Bates Motel."

Lee let out a frustrated puff of breath, "Okay, fine, _FINE!._..a coin toss!" he reached into his pocket, withdrew a quarter and held it up for her to see, "I have in front of me, a simple quarter,...so, Amanda, will it be _heads_ or _tails_ for you?"

"_Heads,_ of course," she said, "and if it's _tails_, that means we'll have to flip again."

He tried not to smile, "A-man-da..."

"okay, _heads,_ just _heads,_" she decided with certainty.

Lee then flipped the coin in the air, caught it and covered it on the back of his hand. Then he covertly looked at it showing no expression.

When he showed it to her, a smile flashed on her face.

"Heads!" she announced joyously, "I _knew_ it would be, because the 'tails' side weighs more, so it has a bigger chance of ending on the bottom."

That fact took Lee by surprise.

"_Really_? Is that true?"

She gave him a knowing smile.

"For an agent, you sure are gullible!" she teased, soaking in her victory.

"How about best two out of three?" Lee suggested.

"_Lee..."_

"Alright..." Lee relented, "you win, Amanda."

"Good!" she acknowledged,"So since I've won, it means I get to decide where Conrad goes, and I've decided that Connie should go with you. Congratulations, Lee!" she added quickly.

She couldn't hide her glee.

_"What?"_ Lee said, totally taken aback.

Then it hit him.

Amanda had been playing him all along.

"You've tricked me, Amanda!"

She looked wide-eyed innocent, "Tricked you? You've won Connie fair and square, Lee."

He gave Amanda an aggravated look, "I had already said I would take Barnhill," he said, "so why did we have to go through all that rigmarole with the flipping of the coin?"

She lifted her head regally, "I just wanted to see how committed you were to your words."

His expression gave away nothing but his jaw slightly pulsed, "_Why_ you..."

However, Conrad was grinning ear to ear.

"Wow, so the winner _GETS_ me?"

His confidence shot through the roof.

Lee looked like he was about to burst with annoyance. He had already declared that Barnhill would cramp his style. And now, here was he actually INSISTING Barnhill stay with him!

Amanda managed to pull one over on him again.

Meanwhile Barnhill looked so pleased.

"Looks like it'll be just us boys, right, Mr. Stetson?"

Lee wanted to protest some more, but when he peered over to Amanda, he was rewarded with a smile that could light up the darkest of nights.

_Maybe it WAS worth it, h_e thought to himself.

"Yes, Barnhill," Lee tiredly conceded at last, "it'll just be us _boys_ together."

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_Please review_


	10. Chapter 10

Impulsive

Chapter 10

It was a chaotic scene outside the flower shop, what with the crowds, the police and the ambulance tending to the latest hit and run victim.

"We should go," Conrad suggested, a somber look on his face, "I think I've seen enough."

"I think _that_ is a very good idea," Amanda concurred, "besides, Connie, you need to move your things over to Lee's apartment so that you can be safe."

Lee heaved a sigh at the reminder that Barnhill would be staying with him.

He hoped he wasn't going to regret this.

As Conrad turned to leave, he noted in the distance, a particular policemen searching out possible witnesses to question. He knew that officer.

"Wait," Conrad told Lee and Amanda, "I want to stay a little longer."

_What now?_ Lee wondered.

"Barnhill," he stated slowly, "you just told us to leave and now you want to stay. A bit indecisive, aren't you?"

"Me, indecisive?" Conrad questioned, "I don't think I am, Mr. Stetson; well, maybe just a little. I'm not sure."

_Yup, __Lee already regretted his decision to take Barnhill in._

"Do you realize, Barnhill" Lee sounded impatient, " that indecision is the parent of failure?"

"Well, I..."

"Lee! That was rude!" Amanda admonished him, "You needn't take out your frustrations on Connie! And come to think of it, you've been in a bad mood ever since you came back from Paris!"

Lee was caught off guard.

"Not true!" he maintained, "okay, perhaps I've been a_ little_ testy, but it could be because I'm not a morning person!"

"...nor an afternoon person, either," Amanda told him, "and I could only imagine that your night-time persona is no bed of roses, either!"

Lee let out a frustrated moan. She was right about him being moody. He hated how perceptive Amanda could be, especially where it concerned him. But she didn't need to know the reason why.

"I think _I_ know the reason for Mr. Stetson's confusion," Connie theorized, "he probably didn't expect to come back and have to deal with _me_."

Lee looked surprised. Barnhill had not realize how close he had come to the truth. And right now, he looked so rejected, it made Lee feel guilty.

He took a deep breath in.

"No, no... I wouldn't _quite_ put it that way, Barnhill," Lee said, sounding a bit gentler, "I guess I had been so set on going solo in my investigation in the flower shop, that when you two showed up, it just threw me for a loop. I...I hadn't expected to be working with _anyone_, I guess."

Amanda questioned, "And would it be so bad, Lee, to be working with us_?__"_

She was right again.

He had been acting like a pouty kid.

And he needed to stop it.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I guess I _have_ been a real downer. It's almost as if, were I given the choice of two evils, I would pick both!"

He saw Amanda squeeze out a little smile. That made him feel better.

"Thank you for that," Amanda said.

"I won't get in the way, Mr. Stetson," Conrad pledged, "at least, I'll try not to."

"No, that's fine...well, not fine that you are in the way..." Lee told him, "I just meant that I think I'm over whatever it was that was bothering me," he gave both of them his most reassuring smile.

"Good! Then that's settled!" Amanda said, looking pleased, "so now maybe we should concentrate on the investigation!"

Lee peered over at the police officer questioning a witness.

"For me," he noted pensively, "I'd sure like to get some information out of that cop regarding that hit and run, but I doubt the officer will tell me anything. To him, we're merely civilians and they don't appreciate people like us interfering in an investigation."

Conrad perked up.

"Oh, do you mean Officer Chapman?" he asked, indicating the officer in question, "He's actually very nice! And his wife makes the BEST angel food cake!"

Lee and Amanda looked questionably at him.

"Wait, Connie," Amanda inquired, "You mean, you _know_ the officer over there?"

"You mean Ted? Sure. Down at the precinct. Ted has needed my help on several occasions."

"What?" Lee looked puzzled, "a police officer has needed _your_ help?"

"With his files," Amanda explained. "Connie is a file clerk at the police station."

"Oh... that's great," Lee half-smiled, trying to sound encouraging, "good to hear that your life is busier than I thought it was."

"It is!" Conrad stated enthusiastically, "You might even say I almost lead a double life!...file clerk by day; bowler by night!"

"That's just..._swell_," Lee tried to sound enthusiastic, "I'm impressed. And you know what would even be MORE impressive, Barnhill?"

Barnhill looked like an eager puppy, "What's that, Mr. Stetson?"

"It's if you go over there and talk with that officer...Officer Chapman? Is that his name?"

Conrad looked so pleased.

"Really, Mr. Stetson?" Conrad's eyes twinkled, "You really think I can be of help with this case?"

"I sure do!" Lee said optimistically, "And, of course, the Agency will be _most _appreciative!"

"_The A-gen-cy..._" Conrad whispered the name in reverence, as he now looked at Lee with brightened eyes, "Ohhh boy! I'll see what I can do!"

He turned and went immediately over to Officer Ted Chapman. Amanda watched him scurry away, a smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, you've made him so happy, Lee!" Amanda said enthusiastically, "He really looks up to you!"

Lee's eyebrows came up, "Oh yeah? He looks up to me?"

"Of course," she told him, "Connie is impressed by _everything_ that you do!"

"Hmmph!" grunted a disbelieving Lee, "I'm not sure if that's really a compliment, Amanda. I have a feeling Barnhill would be impressed by a working Pez dispenser!"

Amanda smiled, "Probably true..._but_...that doesn't give you a right to be grumpy with him!"

"I suppose I deserved that," Lee peered at her sideways, "..._but_ I never promised you that I was a ray of sunshine, Amanda."

"Well, I never expected to be struck by lightning most of the time, either!" she rebounded back.

"Touche," he responded, suddenly grateful for a rare moment alone with her.

Amanda felt a chill of unease at the way her pulse raced when he looked at her. Lately she had been feeling that way more and more with him. Licking her dry lips, she forced herself to look away to watch Conrad conversing with the police officer.

"_Look at him,_" Amanda changed the subject, "all Connie ever wanted was to feel useful."

"Well, if I ever needed tips on filing correctly, or improvement in my bowling score, I'll be sure to look him up!"

Amanda's eyes sparkled, "Admit it, Lee, you're beginning to warm up to Connie!"

"Indeed, Amanda, "he responded drolly, "Barnhill is like...the bacon bits to my salad bowl!"

That caused Amanda to laugh and he joined in and everything was right in the world for a moment before they next continued on with their investigation.

As Lee walked around, he solemnly paused when he noticed some marks made from across the street. His eyes followed the newly made tire marks up to the point where the victim had been struck. He looked contemplatively off in the distance. Amanda soon joined him.

"Lee, what is it?" she wanted to know.

"After viewing these marks," Lee said, his mouth grim, "I'm convinced this wasn't a simple hit and run."

Amanda looked down at the marks.

"These skid marks are shorter and darker than the ones I saw with the truck that almost hit Connie," Amanda observed, "what does that mean?"

"It means," Lee said, "that this time, it was pre-meditated murder."

"_Murder..."_ Amanda repeated to herself before she looked at him, "Lee, the other skid marks with Connie indicated that the vehicle swerved to try and avoid him. But according to you, these tell the opposite story. How do you know these marks show murder?"

Lee pointed to the marks, "These separated marks here indicate that the driver must have double-parked and then suddenly felt a need to accelerate quickly. So the killer obviously waited for the appearance of victim Kathy Brown, then he must have floored his vehicle when he spotted her in order to hit her."

Amanda looked down at the marks and could see that everything probably happened the way Lee had described.

"You're right," Amanda verified.

Lee was enjoying the idea that he was imparting his knowledge to her, "Of course I'm right, Amanda. After all, I've had extensive training in analytical investigation!"

"Then the murderer is in big trouble," Amanda commented, making Lee puff out his feathers even more. Then she pointed to an area next to the skid marks, "However, he was very careless over here. _Why_, look at those dried pieces of mud scattered all around!"

"What? Where?"

Lee followed Amanda's pointed finger and had a second look at the street. Sure enough, there were tiny crumbs of dried mud next to the parked skids marks. He hadn't previously noticed it previously, but damn if he was going to let her know that.

"I was waiting for you to notice it," he simply stated.

She nodded.

Let him have his pride, she told herself.

"I almost missed them, but it's nice to know that _you_ would have pointed them out to me if I hadn't," she said.

"Yeah, soooo...what do those globs of dirt mean to _you, _Amanda?"

Lee sounded like a teacher asking a student a question.

"Well," analyzed Amanda, "there's a small scattered pile bunched over _here_ and a pile, "she pointed a few feet away, "over _there._ But none in between. The length apart is roughly the length of a car. The killer's car could have been idling."

He didn't get her point, "and?"

"..._and_ " she continued, "the dirt wasn't shaken off anywhere else except those two distinct points, which is approximately the location of the front and rear license plates." Amanda rattled on, "I think the killer had originally covered up the license plates with mud, so no one could identify the plates. Then later, when the murderer spotted the victim, he instantly sped off, and his vehicle must have shaken off some of dried bits of mud off the license plates. Is that how you see it, too, Lee?"

Her eyes were round and questioning.

Lee wished he had been the one to think up the _'dirt-to-cover-up-license-plate '_theory himself. But he hadn't.

"I couldn't have worded it better myself," Lee stated awkwardly.

He then looked around as if to find something else to quickly talk about. Across the street he noted a small building with a neon sign that read "_Arlington Dry Cleaners_".

Amanda noticed him staring across the way at the building.

"Is that business across the street the place our Agency had been doing surveillance on from the flower shop?" she guessed correctly, as she gestured towards the dry cleaners business.

"Yes," Lee admitted, "and I have a feeling we will need to start our investigation over there. Come on, Amanda."

They began walking.

"But, Lee," Amanda questioned, as they walked in tandem, "what are we going to do when we get there?"

"We'll just...improvise," Lee suggested.

As they continued walking, they passed a public trashcan, Amanda noticed a discarded dry cleaning ticket. Just what she needed. She reached in and grabbed it to put in her pocket just before they reached the corner.

"What did you just grab from out of the trash can?" Lee questioned.

"Nothing," she opaquely answered, liking that she knew something he didn't.

Lee looked at her suspiciously, "I saw you remove something from the trash can, Amanda, so what was it? Don't make me reach in your pocket and _check_!"

_Actually, that image sounded enticing to Lee._

Amanda blushed slightly at the way he was looking at her and tried to appear casual, "You _wouldn't_!" she challenged.

His eyes narrowed, "Oh, wouldn't I?" he dared, as he stepped forward.

She moved backwards, looking wide-eyed.

Lee sure knew how to pump information from her. Just not all of it.

Are you referring to that paper I just grabbed?" she responded quickly, "I was just...playing it by ear! Like what we had discussed earlier. It's really no biggie, I promise!"

"So you were being impulsive?" he lightly questioned.

"Yes."

"Amanda, you know in the past, your being impulsive hasn't always worked out for us. In fact, it's often made things worse."

"I realize that, Lee, but look at the options I've sometimes had to choose from!"

Lee smiled.

She definitely brought her 'A' bantering game today.

"Well, there's certainly that to consider," he agreed, thinking once again, he was enjoying her company more than he should.

As they continued waiting at the corner for the light to change, they heard a familiar voice calling out to them from behind.

"Amanda! Mr. Stetson!"

They turned and saw Connie running up to them.

"Hey, you two! Where are you headed off to?" he asked.

"Across the street," Amanda informed him, "to do some checking."

"What about me?" Connie asked, "Did you two forget about me?"

In truth, they HAD forgotten about him.

"Of course not, Connie," Amanda said, trying not to sound guilty, "we just figured...that you had a lot to discuss with the officer."

The light turned green, but the three of them remained at the corner.

"Actually," Lee told Amanda, "I don't think Barnhill should go with us to the dry cleaners place."

"The dry cleaners?" Conrad questioned, "since when did you two become interested in starched shirts?"

"Not starched shirts, Connie," Amanda patiently told him, "we're checking up on a lead regarding the flower shop manager murder."

"It's just a hunch we're following," Lee explained to Conrad, "but it'll probably lead to nowhere. So, Barnhill, why don't we meet up with you later to discuss any info you may have gathered from the officer?"

Amanda made a face.

"Lee!" she reprimanded him, "_Don't you remember?_ Connie should not leave our side!"

"What do you mean?" Lee quickly pointed out, "Barnhill just came BACK from leaving us!"

"But we weren't worry because he was with a police officer!" Amanda responded back, as she gave Conrad a comforting smile.

_Oh boy_, Lee thought, _having Connie constantly with them_..._this is getting so complicated._

"Don't worry about me, you two," Conrad kindly insisted, "I'll cross the street with you two, but once we arrive at the cleaners, I'll just stand outside and wait until you two are done. I'll be fine. It'll be nice to stand on the sidewalk and feel the warmth of the sun on me."

"Alright," Lee readily agreed.

"Nonsense! For heavens sake, Lee!" Amanda snapped, "We can't just leave Conrad standing outside a business like he's our pet dog!"

"What do you suggest?" Lee asked sarcastically, "That all _three_ of us go in the dry cleaners? If _that's_ the case, per_haps_ we should wait for one more person to show up, and then we can go on in there as a _musical band_!"

"Actually, that would be kinda cool," Conrad commented.

"Well, we can't do that, either," Amanda said to Lee, "but luckily, it's still early enough in the day. We have time to take Connie back to the motel to gather his stuff and then take him over to your apartment. Where he'll be safe. And then we can come back here and deal with this little dry cleaners' business!"

_Nooooooo._ This was so far from how Lee had wanted to handle the situation. He wanted to continue on with the investigation, but Amanda was right. Barnhill shouldn't be left alone out in the opened street.

"Yeah, sure, Amanda, We'll go and drive Barnhill to pick up his stuff, and then drive him over to my place so he can _un_pack," Lee tiredly stated, "and after I finish up my chauffeur and bellboy duties, I'll work the concierge desk in the evening!"

Amanda lightly slapped him in the arm before she turned to Conrad.

"Don't worry, Connie," Amanda assured him, "we'll take you to Lee's place, where danger won't be able to find you."

"Thank you, Amanda," he stated gratefully, "I'm glad _danger_ won't be able to find me, but... what about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich finding me?"

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_._

_._

_Please review_


	11. Chapter 11

Super-car

Chapter 11

_From the window of Arlington's Dry Cleaners, Andrei Dragonov could see two men and a woman standing at the corner suspiciously eyeing his place of business. His sixth sense told him they meant trouble. He reached behind the counter and retrieved his gun._

.

Meanwhile Lee, Amanda and Conrad had left the corner to pick up Conrad's things and bring it over to Lee's apartment. Since his car was at the mechanics, Lee was driving a rental blue Mustang, while Amanda sat at the passenger side and Connie was in the back seat.

Lee made a left turn and headed down Washington Blvd., passing a series of one story small businesses interlaced with stand-alone concrete buildings. He had been driving nonchalantly, although Amanda noticed he seemed to be looking at his rear view mirror more times than was required when driving straight.

"Lee, is there something the matter?" Amanda asked.

Lee's mouth pursed slightly, as he continued to drive forward. He figured it was best not to worry Amanda.

"Not really. Why?"

'You're looking back too much," she eyed him suspiciously, "What are you not telling us?"

_She really was way too observant,_ he thought as he took a casual glance at the rear view mirror again.

"It's probably nothing, Amanda, at least, nothing I can't handle."

Conrad jerkily looked back and then faced forward, his face tense.

"Mr. Stetson, are we being followed?" he asked.

Lee was honest, "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

Lee made a right turn onto North Glebe Road, a more secluded highway with less traffic. Amanda's adrenaline began to kick in with the realization that they were now driving an unexpected route. Her hand clutched tightly to the arm rest of the car door, although she knew it wouldn't help much.

"Lee, why are you driving us _awa_y from Connie's motel?" Amanda noticed.

He looked back again, "because this new road I've turned into is not as busy, so it'll be safer for civilians."

"I'm a civilian," Conrad pointed out from the back seat.

Lee shrugged, "I realize that, but right now, all I can tell you is that we are definitely being followed."

Conrad gasped.

Amanda turned back to look at him, "Now, Conrad, no need to get upset..."

"Are you kidding, Amanda? After the bad guy gets us, I'll be known as collateral damage!" Conrad's eyes were huge at the implication of Lee's words.

As they proceeded forward, Amanda couldn't help noticing how slow their rental car seemed to be moving. They seemed to be _de_celerating. She hoped they were not having car trouble.

"Lee," Amanda said, "I know you are the expert spy and all, but shouldn't you be, you know, _speeding __UP _if someone is following you?"

"Normally, yes," he said, giving another look in the rear view mirror, "but I can't get a read on the guy. I'm letting him get close enough to us so that maybe we could identify him."

The black sedan was closing the distance between them. Amanda turned all the way around to look back.

"Did you get a good look?" Lee asked, "Can you identify him?"

"No, because he has a hat and sunglasses on, but it's definitely a man," Amanda informed him.

Maybe he's not really following us," Conrad theorized from the back seat, "maybe he's just admir-"

He was interrupted by the sound of the car behind them suddenly revving up his engine as it began to quickly close the gap between them.

"Hold on, you two," Lee warned them, "I think it's time we start speeding up again!"

Putting his foot down more on the accelerator he felt the car go faster. After a few seconds he looked at the rear view mirror, and that's when he saw a gun sticking out from driver's side window of the black sedan.

Lee instinctively reacted by grabbing Amanda's arm and forcing her upper body down on the car seat.

"Stay down!" he instructed her.

"What about me?" Conrad asked from the backseat.

"You mean, you have to _ask_ permission before you save yourself?!" Lee yelled back, "then: _get the hell down_, Barnhill!"

He did just that.

From the other car came a series of shots.

BANG!...BANG!...BANG! BANG!

Gunshots!

Conrad was practically lying down flat on the back seat. Amanda couldn't see anything, but she stayed down just as Lee had told her to. Lee crouched slightly down, too as he tried to accelerate even more.

BANG! BANG!...

ZZZZZZZZiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnngggg!

This time the bullet hit its mark, shattering the back window of Lee's rented Mustang into pieces.

"Help! HELP! Conrad's shaky voice yelled from behind, "There's broken glass all over the back seat here!"

"Connie! Use your cardigan to wipe the glass off of you!" Amanda shouted out above the roar of the engines as she remained crouched down in the front seat.

Al-right," Conrad yelled out from the back, "but this cardigan is a fine knit and I HATE stretching it out!"

Meanwhile, Lee's car continued to accelerate and so did his anger at being chased down like this.

"I say we give this creep a run for his money!" Lee decided.

He floored the accelerator of the rental car all the way. The Mustang took off as if it was on hyper-speed, while the black sedan followed in quick pursuit.

"I'm scared!" Conrad shouted.

"Well, it's no vacation up here for me, either!" Lee said through gritted teeth, as he continued speeding down the highway, going in and out through the scattered cars on the road. When he was driving straight again, Amanda spoke out.

"Do you see him?" she dared ask, "Is he still around?"

"Can't seem to shake him," Lee told them, "but he's far enough away so that he won't be shooting, so you two can sit up now. Just don't get too comfortable. I have a feeling he hasn't given up just yet!" he warned.

Amanda and Conrad cautiously lifted their heads and sat up.

Just in time for bad luck to hit them.

A big construction crew was out in full force, complete with signs and orange cones. Due to construction ahead, Lee had wasted time turning around as he was forced to get on Arlington Blvd, a busy business street. After he made his maneuver, he saw that the black sedan had made an illegal u-turn and was tailing them once again.

"Damn!" Lee cussed at what was up ahead.

They were fast approaching an intersection jammed with cars.

"Oh my gosh, Lee!" Amanda's eyes were like two round saucers at the oncoming cars, "Gridlock! We won't be able to drive through that mess!"

"That's what YOU think!" Lee determinedly responded.

He pressed hard on the accelerator and now veered the Mustang up on the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to leap out of his way. Amanda was panicking. She rolled down the window, and a big gust of wind blew in. She used her arm to shoo the people away.

"Amanda!" yelled Lee, as wind whipped throughout the car, "Get your arm back in! You're making the people scatter!"

"Really, Lee?" Amanda yelled sarcastically through the windy-filled car, "My _arm_ is the thing scattering them? Not our car zooming _straight_ towards them at 90 miles per hour?"

Nevertheless, she rolled up the window.

Looking in his rear view mirror , Lee saw the black sedan also careening up on the sidewalk. As soon as the streets were clear again, both vehicles sped back on the street. Lee's heart was pumping a mile a minute as he continued to speed along.

And with all the swerving and weaving, he didn't see the HUGE pothole until it was too late.

BUMMMMP!

Their bodies bounced up and they all hit their heads on the roof of the car.

"Owwwwwwww!" Conrad yelled out when he bumped his head.

"Connie! Are you hurt?" Amanda twirled around.

"N-no," Conrad told her, "but I think my st-stuttering is b-back!"

"Oh Lee!" Amanda panicked, "DO something!"

"I am! It's called driving and avoiding a shooter!" Lee stated impatiently, as he swerved to avoid another car.

They could see the street was beginning to be clogged with cars up ahead again. And to add to that, this section of the sidewalk was littered with people. It would be too dangerous for Lee to go up there this time.

"You can't be thinking of going up the sidewalk again, are you?" she asked, "and that's _not_ a suggestion!"

"I may not have a choice!" Lee told her.

"You can't! It's too crazy!"

"_Crazy_ sounds good at this point!" Lee exclaimed.

"Don't do it, Lee! Look! There's a mother pushing a stroller!"

"Then I guess we'll have to do plan B!" Lee yelled back.

"Plan B?" Amanda looked really nervous, "I didn't even know we had a Plan A!"

"Just hold on!" Lee said.

Conrad stammered out, "H-hold on to whaaaaatttt...?"

"...to your cardigan, Barnhill!" Amanda advised, "bite into it, if you have to, to stop from screaming!"

Conrad did just that; he stuffed part of his cardigan in his mouth.

_"MMmmmph!." _came Conrad's muffled cardigan sound of fear and his eyes were as large as dinner plates.

_Va-rooooooommmmmmm!_

His mumbling sounds were drowned out by the engine of the car as it became louder.

_Roooooooooooommmmmm! Roooooooooooommmmmm!_

_"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Amanda yelled to Lee, "THAT'S A BUILDING COMING UP!"

"Plan B!" Lee shouted back, "as in Plan _Building!_"

The building loomed straight ahead.

"Noooooooo!" Amanda yelled out.

"MMMMMMMMPPPHHHHH!" Conrad muffled out.

Lee held the steering wheel steady and continued straight on, driving through the glass side of an office building.

ZZZZZZZZiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnngggg! BOOOOOOOMMMMM!

"Gosssshhhhhhh!" Amanda closed her eyes.

The car zipped across the lobby, past elevators and through the glass doors on the other side of the street. For a second, Amanda looked back at all the chaos they left behind.

After that dangerous stunt, Amanda knew she would find a very scared and upset Conrad.

But when she turned back, she was stunned by what she saw. He was no longer biting into his cardigan. He was looking all around him, watching all the destruction, with wide-eyed wonderment.

"Connie! Are you okay? Are you in shock?" Amanda asked, concerned.

"Oh, Amanda," Conrad looked calmly about, his stuttering seemingly gone, "It's wonderful!"

"What?" Amanda was confused.

I've just realized something..." Conrad told her, "someone is actually _after_ me, Amanda! ME! I didn't imagine it! Someone wants me dead!"

Amanda had to admit, it did make sense.

"True, Connie, but you don't have to sound so happy about it!"

He sat up taller, reveling in this new idea.

"You know Amanda, when I was a boy," he told her, "I had a Lego set. And after Lego Superman defeated Lego Lex Luthur, my Lego city used to look in total ruins, just like out there!" He then broke out into an unexpected smile.

Amanda was still baffled, but at least Conrad didn't seem scared.

"Yes, yes, keep thinking like that, Connie!" she encouraged, "Someone is trying to kill you, but we are in a car with an imaginary cape attached to it and a big "S" on it! Right, Lee?"

"Whatever gets Barnhill through!" Lee said, now decelerating slightly, "And Barnhill, "I'm going to give you one piece of advice for you to live by."

Conrad was curious as he placed his hands on the backing of the front seat and leaned forward.

"What's that, Mr. Stetson?"

"Never," Lee said, "never, _neve_r run out of women, ideas or road traction!"

Amanda looked indignant, "That is the most ridicu-"

"Women! Ideas! Road traction!" Conrad chanted fiercely from behind them. If he had an American flag in his hand, he'd be waving it furiously.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Amanda said disgustedly, "It's like you're telling him the_ opposite_ of the way he should live his life!"

"Well, it helped calmed him down, didn't it? " Lee pointed out.

Amanda knew he was right.

"Well, anyway, I don't see the black sedan anymore. Maybe he gave up!" she said hopefully.

"Or needed time to re-load," Lee said, being grimly realistic.

They were coming to a traffic light.

Lee announced, "Amanda, at the light, we need to switch seats so that you can drive!"

_Just when she was beginning to feel safe!_

"What?" Amanda questioned, "why do we need to switch?"

"Because I have a feeling the killer hasn't given up and I need to be free to shoot, in case he returns!" Lee tole her.

"Yay! Go, Amanda go!" Conrad cheered from the back.

"You want _me_ to drive?" she asked, looking frantic.

"It's either that, or you could do the shooting!"

She sighed, "I hate when you give me options that turn out to be no options at all!"

At a red light intersection, Lee put the car in 'park', although he kept the engine running. Amanda scooted over while he dashed out and returned to the passenger side. The light turned green, they drove on.

Sure enough, they heard the ominous revving of an engine and the black sedan re-appeared behind them. Evidently all the destruction they made when crashing into the office building only helped to create a pathway for the black sedan.

"Woo-haaa!" Conrad exclaimed now sounding excited, "He's baaack and _still_ after ME!"

Amanda floored the accelerator, as she looked at the rearview mirror, "Doesn't he ever give up? He's almost as stubborn as Lee!"

_Va-rooooooommmmmmm!_

She continued to speed along, though it wouldn't be long before she would hit stale traffic again. The black sedan was closing the gap.

As Amanda quickly made her way down the street, a burst of wind suddenly entered the inside cab of their car, for Lee had rolled down the passenger side of his window. Her hair immediately flew everywhere, making it difficult for her to see. Glancing sideway, she saw Lee stick his gun out the window.

BANG!...BANG!

The sound of his gun reverberated inside the car.

"WHERE TO?" Amanda yelled over the gust of wind, furiously trying to keep the steering wheel straight as she drove.

"THERE!" Lee pointed between two cars., "Drive right inbetween those two parked cars!"

The space was barely the length of two doorways. But there didn't seem to be another place for them to go.

_"THERE?"_ she nervously questioned, knowing there was no other option, for the street they were on was littered with cars up ahead, "I-I don't know if I can do it, Lee!"

"You can do it, Amanda!" Lee encouraged, "Use your natural instinct of survival to drive!"

"And don't close your eyes!" suggested Conrad.

Amanda willed herself to stay strong. Lee was right. Her need to get them out alive would give her the strength she needed.

"Alright," she determined, "I can do it! I've done harder driving maneuvers! One time I had parked in a tight space inbetween a crookedly-parked school bus and a truck with a hitched on trailer!"

"You bet you can do it, Amanda!" Lee encouraged.

She sped towards the narrow opening between the two cars and took a deep breath in. With brilliant maneuvering of the car, Amanda plowed right through the narrow space. However, she heard crunching noises and knew that she had sheared off Lee's side mirrors.

_Oh, boy... Lee, will not like me breaking the Mustang's side windows_, Amanda thought, as she charged forward onto the busy courtyard.

Conrad lifted his arms in victory, "Woooooo! We've made it through!"

"Never mind the windows, Amanda!" Lee exclaimed, as if he could read her mind, "Just DRIVE!"

They were now up on the sidewalk again. The courtyard was full of outdoor cafes, shops and artists selling their wares. Until Amanda reached them, of course. She saw through the windshield, people yelling and scrambling to get out of the way of the Mustang. She quickly rolled down the driver side window.

"Sorry, oh, so sorry!..oops...oops!" she yelled out apologetically, "oooh...didn't mean that!...sorry!..."

"Never mind the apologies, Amanda!Just DRIVE!" Lee told her. He pointed to her right, "Over there! A park! There'll be less people there!"

At last they blasted out of the courtyard onto a park.

"This is NOT what I meant when I said I wanted to see the city and meet people!" Amanda remarked.

"Go, GO!" Lee looked back and spotted the sedan and quickly the shooting from both sides started up again.

First from the black sedan.

BANG!...BANG!

Then from Lee.

BANG!...BANG!..._BANG!_

"Got him!" Lee announced, as the front window of the black sedan exploded and his car began to swerve.

_ZZZZZLLLLLLIIIINGGGGG!_

_IIIIIIIRRRRRRRRTTTTTT! IIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTT!_

From behind her, Amanda heard skidding sounds. She looked in the rear view mirror in time to see the black sedan crash into the fire hydrant. A blast of water immediately came shooting out.

Amanda continued to drive on, leaving the black sedan high and dry. Or actually very wet.

"Woweee!" Conrad was like a little kid as he looked through the back window (minus the glass) at the devastation of the black sedan. He then turned towards Amanda who looked her most relaxed.

"When did you ever learn to drive like that, Amanda?" he asked with admiration.

"About fifteen minutes ago!" she honestly answered.

Lee smiled.

She really was the bravest woman he knew.

"Great job, Amanda!" Lee exclaimed, in complete delight, "That sure got my blood pumping! Now I'm more than ready to help Conrad move!"

"Me too!" Conrad agreed, "...and who said car rides are boring when the caped Super-car is around?"

Amanda made a u-turn and headed back to Conrad's motel. She was smiling secretly to herself, for Lee had called Connie "Conrad" instead of 'Barnhill'.

_Maybe it was a good idea to have Connie stay with Lee, __she thought._

.

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_Please review_


	12. Chapter 12

Taken to the cleaners

Chapter 12

Arlington Dry Cleaners was exactly like any other dry cleaners in every city throughout the country. It had the typical laminated counter and behind it was racks and racks of clear plastic wrapped clothing.

When Lee and Amanda entered, two men were conversing with one another in a what sounded like a Eastern Bloc language.

One man was short and thin with squinty eyes, almost reminding Lee of a weasel, with his hair slicked back. It was obvious he was the boss. The other looked like the typical bouncer, big and burly like a refrigerator. In his mind, Lee was going to refer to him as Ivan.

The Weasel Boss looked up from his conversation and his face flashed with anger.

"Get out!" he ordered, with a thick accent, "You not belong here!"

Not the most friendly welcome. But Lee would not be intimidated. He also suspected that this weaselly looking man was probably the guy who was the cause of their high-speed car chase. And that made Lee even angrier for all the extra payments to the car rental place, and mostly, for putting Amanda in danger.

"You've got a lot of nerve telling US to leave after that driving stunt you pulled yesterday, Pal! " Lee responded back, letting the weasel know that Lee knew who was chasing after them, "_We_ weren't the aggressive ones on the road, now _were_ we? And come to think of it, how did you get that cut on your cheek?"

Weasel boss narrowed his eyes, "I do not understand this nonsense you speak!" he expressed, "I think you are here for trouble! But we are honest cleaners business and you have no _real_ business with us!"

Amanda looked guiltless as she held up her dry cleaning ticket.

"But, Sir, we _do_ have business here. We came to pick up a suit."

Weasel boss snapped his head over at Amanda, his expression a sneer.

Amanda placed the wrinkled ticket she found outside in the trash can on the counter, "Here's our receipt. We would just like to pick up my husband's suit and then we'll be on our way."

She then nudged Lee, her eyes telling him to play his role. At first he looked annoyed and then he took a deep breath in.

"Yes..._please_," Lee forced the politeness through gritted teeth.

The Weasel Boss grabbed the ticket from the counter and stared at it. It was obvious he wasn't fooled by the old ticket. When he looked back at Lee, his eyes were cold and his voice skeptical.

"It say here your name is... Myron Abramowicz?"

Lee stood taller, "I am."

Weasel Boss's looked at Lee with contempt as he tossed the rejected ticket back on the counter.

"Abramowicz, ha!" The Weasel Boss faked a scornful laugh as he continued to eye Lee, "Don't tell me," he stated sardonically, "you adopted?"

"No," answered Lee, just as sarcastically, "_test tube baby_."

"You do not be so rude to _me!_" Weasel Boss yelled back, "My name is Andrei Dragonov! I am manager here and I tell you this ticket no good! I give you one more chance to leave with no trouble!"

"Come on, Dear," Amanda said, giving a tug on his arm.

But Lee stood firm.

"_I paid $1,000 for that suit_!" he stated emphatically, " I _demand_ that you give me my suit!"

"Go or I _make_ you go!" Weasel Boss threatened as Ivan stepped protectively in front of him, his bulging muscles evident in the tight shirt.

"This is my frightened look," he pointed to his expressionless face at the muscled man.

Amanda tried to diffuse the situation.

"Now, Dear," she told Lee, "no need to get riled up. This is only the second time this has happened," she smiled charmingly at the goons, "and we usually get such excellent service here..."

"Stop this nonsense! You never come here!" Andrei the Weasel Boss was losing his patience, "You have NO ticket and you no customer HERE!" his voice sounded louder and angrier, "Get out! _NOW!_ And _don't_ have nice day!"

Lee was not ready to leave. He aggressively pointed his index finger at Andrei Dragonov.

"Listen, Pal!" Lee told him, just as loudly, "My attorney wife here will bankrupt this place!" he then turned to Amanda, "Isn't that right, Sweetheart!"

Amanda stood tall, trying to look important as Dragonov glared at her up and down, taking note of her casual jeans and tennis shoes.

"Yes, I _am_ a lawyer and a DARN good one at that!" she claimed.

Dragonov looked unconvinced.

"If YOU lawyer, then I am fairy princess!" he harshly countered to Amanda.

Lee's tone was angry, "Then I'll show you where you can put your magic wand, Pal!"

From behind the curtain, an elderly woman's voice shouted out with authority, _"Linistit!_ _Who_ m_akes so much this racket?"_

They heard some shuffling of feet coming from the back room.

The curtain immediately was pulled aside. Lee and Amanda had been expecting an imposing organized crime mafioso, but instead it was an elderly, fragile, petite woman with white hair, and bent back, who looked like a gypsy. She was in her sixties, draped in a shawl that looked as if it were woven out of spiderwebs, with a long skirt and white blouson top. She was leaning on a solid wooden cane as she walked and when she stopped and finally spoke out, her voice had an air of confidence and power to it.

"Andrei! What is this problem you are having with these two customers?" she asked insistently of her son.

"Mother!" son Dragonov explained to her, "These two people _not_ customers! They are trouble for us! And they refuse to leave here!"

The old lady turned to Lee and Amanda.

"I am Madame Dragonov, _owner _of this establishment," she introduced herself with only a slight trace of a Romanian accent, "What is it you two want?"

Her tone demanded respect.

"Justice," Amanda declared, "we gave your son our laundry ticket and he refuses to give us service. He has been MOST uncooperative and as an attorney for King, Stetson and Associates, I intend to _sue_ your establishment!"

Madame Dragonov looked almost blasé over the threat.

"Such drastic measures for what you say is only for poor service?" she questioned Amanda, "And on what grounds, Lady Lawyer, do you propose to sue us?"

"We plan to sue for _fraud,"_ Amanda ironically announced in a businesslike tone.

"Fraud?!" Madame Dragonov looked genuinely surprised, "There is no fraud here! What is this fraud you speak of?"

Amanda pointed to the two signs behind the counter.

"That sign says _'satisfaction_ _guaranteed_' and that one states, _'same day service',_ to which your establishment did neither for my client! My husband is neither satisfied NOR did he receive any service! That'll be an easy $3,000 courtroom win for us! And don't get me started on the $250 we will be awarded for having to rent a car every weekend to drive to another dry cleaning service! And this is in addition to the $2,000 we will be asking for mental distress!"

Lee was secretly proud of Amanda. She really did work very well under pressure; she definitely knew how to improvise.

The old lady gave Lee and Amanda her most cynical look, her eyes so intense, it was as if she could see down to their souls.

"You must stop with this terrible deception," stated Madame Dragonov, in no uncertain terms, "you two did _not_ come here to pick up a missing suit!" Though her voice was shaky, it was filled with strong conviction, "I know government agents when I see them. I believe you two must have been part of the surveillance team from that flower shop across the way. And after monitoring my shop and invading my privacy, you have found nothing, NOTHING wrong that I have done! Is that not so?"

Amanda was surprised at not only the woman's bluntness but her acuity. Meanwhile, Lee knew it was useless to keep the pretense going.

"You are wrong on one count, Mrs. Dragonov," Lee truthfully answered, "We were not the people sent to do any sort of surveillance of your shop. However, if you are that much aware, it also tells me that you must know about the murder of the owner of the flower shop."

Madame Dragonov looked more bothered than surprised.

"And you think _**I **_had something to do with _that?_" she asked, "Look at me-I am old and sick! I suffer from a condition you Americans call severe rheumatoid arthritis!"

Amanda indicated the bouncer and her son, "Perhaps it wasn't you who _directly_ did the deed, Mrs. Dragonov," she stated bravely, "a leader usually delegates."

Andrei Dragonov looked agitated by the turn of the conversation. Meanwhile Lee was impressed by Amanda's demeanor throughout. Her confidence had definitely grown twofold since that day he had first spotted her at that train station so long ago.

"Check the video tape I had already supplied to the police," the old woman told them, "Yes, I had one installed here at my shop, unlike that cheap flower shop you speak of!"

" Mother-" interrupted Andrei Dragonov.

"Shush!" she told her son, "Now, you two!" she directed Lee and Amanda, "Do as I say and check that video! You will see that my boys _never _left this establishment during the time that owner had been murdered! They were with me the entire time!"

"Oh, you bet we will check up on that!" Lee promised.

"Then our business is complete," she announced coolly, "Go now and stop harassing him, me, and my legitimate business!"

Though her body was old and decrepit, she lifted her head with great dignity as she turned away. Then using the cane, she shuffled back into the other room, the curtains closing behind her.

Ivan, or whoever he was, moved to block the entrance to that backroom where she had disappeared. He folded his arms and made it plain that they would only be allowed access to the back room over his dead body. Or theirs.

"You think you're so tough, don't you?" challenged Lee to the thug.

Ivan had no response and continued to stare straight forward, ignoring Lee, which only angered him more.

"Just to let you know, _pal_," Lee warned in frustration, "I have a mood ring in my pocket and if I put it on, it will read the color _red _for anger, and if you get me REALLY mad, the color _red_ will show up on your forehead too!"

Ivan didn't even blink.

"Come on, Lee," Amanda said, knowing they would not get any more information from these cleaners' people, "We won't find out anything more here."

As they walked out together, The sunshine hit them immediately. It felt good to be out in the fresh air again.

"Too bad we had to leave so suddenly," Lee ruefully told her as they headed towards the car, "I would have _love_ to go one round with that goon who had muscles for brains!"

"You think you would have had a chance against someone like him?" she asked, seeing that the goon's muscles clearly bulged from his clothes.

"The way I see it," Lee stated with certainty, "I'm fairly confident that if we had fought, the fight would have definitely..._gone either way_!"

His unexpected words made Amanda laugh out loud.

It was such a pleasant sound to Lee and he liked that he was the cause of it.

"So where to now?" she asked when she had stopped laughing.

"The Agency," he said, "I want to check up on that surveillance tape to see if their alibis check out. I'm hoping it _doesn't _pan out. You want to come?"

"No, I really should be heading home to the boys," Amanda said regretfully, "although I have a feeling that Madame Dragonov's alibi for her son will be proven right. It'll probably show that her son and the goon _were_ in the cleaners during the murder of Jean Sutton."

"And then we'll be back to square one," Lee said, frustration showing on his face.

"Maybe not," Amanda said, "Did you see the son's reaction when his mother mentioned the flower shop?"

Lee paused.

"Hey yeah, you're right, come to think of it," Lee said, "he seemed almost...upset."

"Maybe there's more to his knowing Jean Sutton than he's letting on," Amanda theorized.

"It's worth checking out," Lee said.

Amanda's sigh sounded like one of frustration.

"What's wrong?" Lee asked.

"Well, even with this little piece of knowledge that might turn out to be nothing," Amanda announced, "we're no more closer to figuring out why someone is trying to kill Connie than we were from day one at the flower shop, are we?"

Lee had no answer for that.

.

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_Next up: Lee and Conrad as roomies!_

_Please review_


	13. Chapter 13

Men Talk

Chapter 13

Lee was feeling frustrated. He had dropped by the Agency to check with the people doing surveillance on the dry cleaning business, and what Madame Dragunov stated was true. According to surveillance records, there was no way her goons had left their business on the day the flower shop manager had been murdered.

And unfortunately, he was no closer to figuring out who wanted Conrad dead. Or who killed Jean Sutton, the flower shop owner, or Kathy Brown, the hit and run victim.

.

Later, Lee entered his apartment. Evidence of Conrad now residing with him was there as he noticed the three large suitcases off to one side.

"Barnhill?" Lee called out.

Conrad was sitting on Lee's sofa, reading a magazine. He looked up when Lee entered.

"Hello, Mr. Stetson, I hope you don't mind that I'm sitting on your sofa."

Lee took a few steps forward, "Of course not, Barnhill, I-ooh, whoa!" He had almost tripped over a smaller case, one he had not noticed previously.

"Oh! Mr. Stetson, are you alright? I'm so sorry!" Conrad apologized as closed the magazine and stood, "I suppose I should move my instrument."

"No, that's fine, I'll move it," said Lee, as he moved the case off to one side, "uh, did you say...your instrument?"

"Amanda didn't tell you?" he seemed almost shy about it.

"No, not about _this,_" Lee said as he now stood in the living room and faced Conrad, "what instrument do you play?"

Conrad looked a little embarrassed, "I'm not sure I want to tell you."

Lee was getting really curious.

"Why's that?" Lee asked. He looked again at the case.

"It's a rather unusual instrument," he hesitantly paused, "you'll think it's silly, just like other people."

Now Lee would give his right arm to know the instrument.

"Silly for playing an instrument?" Lee rhetorically asked, "I don't think so. It's good that you play an instrument; it's nice you have another talent. What instrument is it?"

Barnhill timidly looked down and mumbled some gibberish. Lee only caught one word.

"What?" Lee asked, "_According_ to what?"

"Not _according_, Mr. Stetson," Conrad corrected, "_accordion_. I play the accordion, Mr. Stetson!"

At that image of Conrad squeezing a bulky accordion back and forth in order to play it, Lee almost snickered. However, looking at Conrad's face, he instantly felt bad and bit his inside lip to keep from smiling. He bit it HARD.

"How so very...different, Barnhill."

He wasn't fooling Conrad, who slightly drooped, "Oh. You DO think it's silly."

Lee felt worse. Conrad was probably teased all his life about that and everything else he did. And probably had to be rescued by Amanda a few times.

"Barnhill, those people who think it's silly that you play the accordion are just being ignorant," Lee said convincingly, "I'm sure you play it very well!"

That gave Conrad hope.

"I'd like to think I do!" he told Lee, "I mean, I can play a really mean beer barrel polka!"

_Must. Not. Laugh._

"I bet you can!" Lee stated, his cheek pulsing, "and if I _ever_ hear _anyone_ say _anything _insulting about your accordion, I'll slug them for you!"

Conrad looked so pleased, "Really? You will? Thank you, Mr. Stetson! Some night I'll play it for you, and maybe you and Amanda could do a polka_ together!_"

_Polka? I hardly knew her! _Lee jested to himself.

He let out a sound that was a cross between a snort and a chuckle and covered it up by coughing.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Stetson?"

Conrad was staring questionably at him and Lee tried to keep a straight face.

"Of course not, Barnhill...that was my admiration sound!" Lee insisted, "For me, an accordion is truly a fine, fine instrument!"

"Thank you, Mr. Stetson!" Conrad's eyes seemed to dance, "I do seem to have a flair for it!"

_And I bet with your accordion playing, it made you good at folding up maps, too, Lee muffled a chortle._

"Sorry, I got something stuck in my throat. Soooo," Lee said, figuring he'd better change the subject, "are you pretty much settled in?"

"Oh yes! And I really appreciate you letting me crash out here, Mr. Stetson," Conrad said as he looked all around in wonderment, "I've always wanted to know how a real bachelor spy lives."

"I suppose the first thing we need to get straight is since we'll be in close living quarters, you might as well call me Lee," he told Conrad. Then he made a gesture towards the sofa, "and I hope you'll be comfortable here on my sofa."

"Oh sure, Mister Stet-..._Lee_," he corrected himself, smiling, "I'm sure I'll be quite comfortable."

Lee went to his mini bar and poured himself a drink, "You want anything to drink?"

"Oh," Conrad half smiled, "a club soda would be nice, if you don't mind. But don't go to any extra trouble on my account."

"Not at all," Lee said, as he reached into his mini-cooler and produced a bottle, "You need some ice?"

"Yes, here, let me go get some..." Conrad said as he practically sprinted to the freezer and opened the door. He paused at what he saw.

"No need," Lee said, "I have some ice cubes here at my mini-fridge at the bar."

"Okay, Lee...but if you don't mind me saying," Conrad said, taking a closer look inside his freezer, "You don't have anything in your freezer except a _frozen_ cake in here."

Lee had a playful smile on his face, "Yes, that's true...it's for when any of my lady friends come and visit."

He failed to mention that the last time he had a lady friend 'visiting', it was so long ago.

"Oh?" Conrad shut the freezer door and went back to sit on the sofa, "You mean, 'cake' is the entertainment food for dates? I didn't know that!"

Lee came over and handed the glass of club soda to Conrad, "What you will learn, Conrad," he philosophized, "is that women _always_ appreciate originality. That, and _compliments,_ alongside a bottle of fine wine, of course."

"Wow! I'm going to learn so much from you!" he enthused as he accepted the glass, "and thank you, so much!"

Lee nodded. Conrad's politeness reminded him a bit of Amanda.

_And if Lee didn't know any better, he'd have sworn they had attended Disneyland High School together._

"So," Lee, attempting to make light conversation, "what was Amanda like back in the day?"

Conrad smiled, "Much like she is today. I guess the two words you could use to describe her was sweet and inquisitive. She was always very pleasant, even to nobodies like me," he stated, "and by inquisitive I mean she always wanted to know what was happening around her."

"I think you've described her to a T," he stated, as he raised his glass, "so here's a toast. To Amanda."

Conrad looked pleased as he clinked glasses, "To Amanda!" he said with cheer and then took one big gulp.

"You know," Conrad remarked after taking a drink, "You're not as intimidating as I thought you would be."

Lee studied Conrad. Barnhill wasn't as annoying as he thought he would be, either.

"Oh yeah?" Lee declared, "Well, I'm just like everyone else. I put on one pants leg at a time. Well, that's not entirely true. Unlike others, I don't need to use my hands."

He had meant it in a jest.

"Really?" Conrad looked impressed.

"No, no, I'm just joking, Barnhill."

"Oh, well..." Conrad looked embarrassed, "Anyway, Mr. Stetson, if you want, you can call me Conrad."

Lee looked slightly uncomfortable, "I've always known you as Barnhill."

"Okay, then instead of calling you _Lee_, maybe I should call you _Stetson?"_

Lee looked unsure, "Well..."

"I don't like it, either," Conrad said, "You wouldn't mind if I went back to Mr. Stetson, do you?"

Lee was expressionless, "Sure, whatever you want to call me."

"So what we were talking about earlier? "Conrad jumped back to a previous subject, "oh yeah...you said you put on one pants leg at a time, right?"

Lee sighed over the topic of conversation,"Right, just like everyone else."

"I suppose you would," Conrad nodded solemnly, "but you _are_ different from the rest of us, Mr. Stetson. Your job is to save the world! Almost like a superhero! Not many of us can do that as a profession, so that _does_ set you apart from everyone else," he paused here, "Well, except in one regard, that is..."

Lee was intrigued with this turn in the conversation, "And what's that, Conrad?" he asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"You, like me," Conrad said, "have fallen under the charms of Amanda King."

Lee had been in the middle of his drinking when Conrad had said his statement. He choked, with some of the drink spurting out of his mouth.

_COUGH! COUGH!_

Conrad looked alarmed. "Mr. Stetson! Lee! Are you alright?"

Lee put out his hand to assure Conrad things were fine, as he tried to wipe his shirt.

"No, I'm fine, Barnhill," Lee said eventually, "my drink went down the wrong tube."

He now hoped Barnhill would have forgotten what they had been talking about. No such luck.

"Anyway, I really understand your attraction to Amanda and all. She is quite -" Conrad looked up in the air as if trying to think of the right word, giving Lee time to interrupt him.

"Frustrating?" Lee suggested.

"_Enchanting!_" Conrad said in a dream like state.

"Well, maybe that's how YOU see her, but what makes you think **_I'm _**attracted to her?" Lee knew his tone sounded a bit too insistent, a bit too forceful, "Amanda is just one of several -and let me emphasize my point here- _several _agents I am assigned to work with. That is all she is to me."

"You stand so close to her all the time," Conrad bluntly declared.

Lee's mouth dropped.

"I do?" then he quickly recovered to deny it, "No, I don't!"

Yet, why did Lee's voice sound so unusually loud?

Normally, Conrad would back off, but he felt he was on a roll.

"And there are other signs," he bravely added.

Lee looked uncertain that he wanted to hear more. But he couldn't help himself

"Like what?" he asked at last.

" I notice when you're around her, you like to give her...you know...friendly touches, here and there..." Conrad began before being interrupted.

"What?" Lee had never even noticed before, but when he thought about it, it seemed true, "no, Conrad...I..." he felt himself breaking out in a sweat, "that is...it's just if I sometimes touch her..." he fumbled for words, "it's to lead her...to lead her _away_ from something. As you know, she always seems headed in the wrong direction."

Lee almost cringed at his own words. And he knew Conrad didn't believe a word of it.

"I've never noticed that about her," Conrad stated, looking away, "I've always known her as being super smart, and she always knew which direction she was headed. And she's also very caring. That's what makes her so special."

Lee felt uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, "Okay, Conrad," he relented, "Maybe we need to drop this subject..."

"But Amanda is the only thing we have in common!"

Lee sounded insistent now, "So then let's commonly drop it!"

When he glanced over to Conrad, he could see that Conrad was looking directly at him as he continued their original conversation.

"...but I'm not done telling you why I know you're attracted to her..."

Lee seemed to be half-talking to himself "_I really don't know why I'm still standing here..."_

"...it's also the way that you look at her..." Conrad continued on, "and did you ever smell her hair, Mr. Stetson? It's so nice! It's very fresh and clean, almost like peaches!"

"Vanilla," Lee interjected, seemingly in a trance, as he looked afar, "it's definitely more like vanilla." Then when he saw Conrad's surprised face, he quickly recovered, "Or so Francine has told me! Let's just drop this subject for now, shall we?" he snapped, "And for your information, I _do_ have a date tonight! So until that time, I'm going to go and take a shower," he stood up, "and then I need to leave to do some work at the Agency."

"Really?" Conrad seemed in awe again at Lee, "You just came from the Agency! What else do you need to do there?"

Lee felt himself fumbling again.

"I need to do many things that I can't reveal because they have to do with national security," Lee felt like he was sounding silly but continued on, "so I have a lot to accomplish. I may have to stay there the rest of the night."

"But you said you had a date," Conrad reminded him.

"Wha-? Oh _yes,_" Lee responded, realizing he needed to think before he opened his mouth.

"What's her name?" Conrad polite asked.

"Hmmm?" Lee needed to think fast, "her name?"

"Yes, Mr. Stetson, the name of your date."

Lee looked at the jar of candy he kept on the counter, along with his spy book by Robert B. Parker which featured a detective named Spenser.

"Her _full_ name?" Lee was buying time, "Her name is...Candace Spencer!"

He looked pleased at his name choice.

But Conrad's eyes widened, "You're going out with someone named _Can Dispenser? _I'm sure she must be prettier than her name..."

"Not _Can Dispenser_!" Lee corrected him with disdain, "_Candace Spencer!_"

Conrad shook his head, "I don't get the dif-"

"_Candace_ is her first name!" Lee growled impatiently, "_Spencer_ is her last name!"

"Ohhhh," Conrad nodded knowingly, "And where are you planning to take her?"

Lee would normally be frustrated at this point, but he was just relieved they were no longer discussing Amanda.

"I had originally planned _here_," Lee said, "but...uh, I suppose I can treat her, this, uh, _Candace, my date, _to a very nice dinner at the new French restaurant down the ways."

"Oh, but you can bring her here and maybe serve that nice, original frozen cake you have in the freezer," Conrad suggested, "After all, I won't be here. I'll be having dinner at Amanda's."

For some reason, the image of Conrad having a homemade meal in the comfort of Amanda's house, surrounded by her family irked him. He knew he would never be given that opportunity. But why should it bother him?

He had freedom to do as he please, go out with whom he wanted. In fact, there was still enough time to pull a name from his famed blackbook and take out someone very distracting and gorgeous and the two of them would have a fabulous time and then afterwards...

No, not afterwards. Conrad would probably be back here by that time. And despite Lee trying to get excited for the possibility of a date tonight, he would have given almost anything to change places with Conrad.

He stood up, looking unhappy and feeling frustrated.

"Time for a shower_,_" Lee murmured under his breath, as if he were talking to himself.

Then he abruptly left the room. Soon there was the sound of a running shower coming from the bathroom. Conrad slightly scowled, wondering why the change in mood from Lee.

Well, the Mongoose was moody, too.

_Maybe spies are just temperamental,_ Conrad concluded, as he took another sip of his club soda.

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_Please review_


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